The Alliance
by AliasCWN
Summary: Radical groups of Arabs are planning an alliance to drive the invaders from their lands. Troy and his men are sent to find out who is involved and put a stop to it.
1. Chapter 1

**The Alliance**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 1

"So those are your orders Sergeant. Find that Sheik Abdul Sarharan, and find out what he's up to."

"Why does headquarters think that this Sheik Sarharan is going to be a problem?" Troy asked.

"Apparently there have been rumors going around that he wants us out of his desert. Our sources say that he's trying to stir up the local population against us too." Captain Boggs explained.

"There are several leaders who would like to see us gone." Moffitt joined the conversation. "Some of them have followers who are more than willing to stir up anger against us."

"This Sheik Sarharan is one of those." Captain Boggs replied. "According to our sources he has somewhere around one hundred followers who are ready to start their own little holy war."

"Are they friendly with the Germans?"

"We don't know." The Captain answered Troy's question. "Maybe you can find out for us while you're watching him."

"What do you want us to do about this sheik if he is planning something?"

Captain Boggs looked at Moffitt when he answered. "Whatever will solve the problem, within reason. Don't go making any deals without clearing them with headquarters first."

"I've heard of this particular sheik." Moffitt admitted. "He's a radical. I doubt that there is anything short of our leaving that he would accept."

"Well as much as I'd like to accommodate him and leave this inhospitable place to them, that is not an option. So it sounds like a deal of any kind is out of the question." The Captain guessed.

"That would be my opinion." Moffitt agreed.

"Okay, go find out what he's up to and convince him that it's a bad idea."

"Does headquarters have any idea where we should begin looking for this guy?"

"Right about here." The captain walked to the map and pointed to a small village behind the German lines. "Our sources say that the sheik is hosting some sort of meeting in that village."

"Is he trying to convince others to join him in his holy war?" Moffitt asked.

"We don't know. Our sources haven't been able to find out what the meeting is about or even who was invited."

"How much do you want to bet that Faisal will be there? He dropped out of sight after our last meeting with him." Moffitt reminded the others. "After our fight at the ruins he lost most of his supporters. His losses were so heavy going up against so few that his followers decided that he was a poor leader."

"Dietrich and his men helped us beat them off." Troy remembered. "If Faisal is involved they probably don't like the Germans either."

"Find out." The captain ordered.

"Yes sir." Troy responded. "We'll get on it right away."

"I'll see you when you get back." The captain sat down at his desk and picked up some reports that he needed to read.

Troy and Moffitt turned and left the office.

"What do you think?" Troy asked as Moffitt led the way to the motor pool.

"They won't talk to outsiders about this meeting. We won't be able to disguise ourselves and mingle with the crowd either."

"Do you think you could find out where the meeting is taking place before it happens?"

"It's possible. That part will be known, even to those not planning to attend. What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking about trying to get a microphone in there and recording the entire meeting." Troy admitted.

"That would tell you what they are planning but not who was involved. There is no guarantee that we will be able to identify the participants by voice alone."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Not a better idea," Moffitt replied, "just an addition to your idea."

"Go on."

"After we plant the microphone we hide close by and photograph everyone who enters or leaves the meeting."

"All right." Troy agreed. "I guess we'd better go back and tell the Captain that we're going to need some special equipment."

Hitch and Tully were waiting by the jeeps when Troy and Moffitt arrived with their arms full of the specialized equipment. They climbed to their feet and watched as the sergeants stowed all of the new gear.

"Cameras and recording devices." Hitch noted. "Are we going to make a film?"

"Something like that." Troy answered.

"Can I be in it?"

"I have a feeling you would not enjoy it Hitch." Moffitt smiled at their youngest member. "We're filming a meeting of Arabs whose sole purpose is to destroy us."

Troy threw Moffitt a warning look before glancing around to see if anyone was near enough to overhear. "Let's move out, the Captain wants us back with this information yesterday."

"Don't want much do they?" Tully asked around his matchstick.

"They only give us these assignments because they know that we can get them done." Hitch declared confidently.

"You seem pretty sure of yourself." Troy growled.

"Not me Sarge, us." Hitch answered. "We're a team."

Moffitt smiled at the vote of confidence while Tully chewed on his matchstick and shook his head. Troy growled and turned away. Hitch winked at the others and tried to look innocent when Troy looked back at him.

"So what are we going to do with that equipment?" Hitch asked once they were clear of the base.

"There's a chance that some of the Arab leaders are going to try to start an uprising against us. It seems that some of them don't like us."

"Fair enough." Hitch answered without taking his eyes off the road. "We don't like some of them either. Remember that Faisal guy?"

"As it turns out, he may be one of the guests at this party we're going to crash." Troy replied with a grin.

"You don't say." His driver remarked.

"I do say."

Hitch looked over at Troy's teasing tone and smiled. Turning back he blew a bubble and let it pop with a satisfying snap.

"Hey Sarge?" Hitch spoke again after being quiet for several minutes.

"Yeah?"

"Do you suppose Tully will see another dancing girl doing the lindy while we're on this mission?"

Troy smiled at the reference to a claim Tully had made while they were pinned down by Faisal and his tribesmen. "I sure hope not Hitch; that last one got Tully shot."

"Yeah, but it was only a graze." Hitch answered.

"This time it might be worse. Let's forget about the dancing girls and just concentrate on getting the job done."

"Okay Sarge, but I sure would like to see one of those dancing girls."

Troy laughed and slapped his driver on the shoulder. "Drive."

"I am driving Sarge."

Troy leaned back in his seat and thought about Faisal. Moffitt knew the chieftain and was certain that he couldn't be bargained with under any circumstances. If he attended the meeting it would stand to reason that the others who attended had no interest in making any deals either.

It was nearly dark when Tully pulled his jeep up alongside so Moffitt could talk to Troy.

"There are a series of wadis ahead that might make good campsites." Moffitt yelled across the jeep.

"Might?"

"We're getting close to our destination Troy. If the meeting is going to take place soon then there is a very real possibility that some of the attendees will be camped in the area. Any of those wadis could already be in use."

"And a good chance that the occupants won't be friendly." Troy finished for him.

"A very good chance I'm afraid." Moffitt answered with a nod.

"Is there any place out here where we can camp? Some place we can defend?"

"Only the wadis." Moffitt replied. "We could keep going."

"In the dark? No thanks. If those guys hear our engines they can set up an ambush and we would never hear them until it was too late. We'll camp in the open if we have to, at least then we'll be able to see them coming." Troy glanced up at the sky. "The moon will be bright tonight; they won't be able to sneak up on us in the open."

"We should move away from the road then." Moffitt suggested. "Any travelers will stick to the road when there is one."

"Hitch, head across the open desert, we'll pick out a camp before it gets dark."

"Right Sarge." Hitch spun the wheel and left the road with Tully right beside him.

The going was harder so they had to slow down but Troy wasn't in any hurry. He wondered if it was possible to set up a camp in the open that wouldn't be spotted by any Allied hating Arabs. There was no doubt in his mind that any group going to the meeting would jump at the chance to attack four lone Allied soldiers."

Moffitt called his name and Troy twisted around to see what the other sergeant wanted.

"This should be far enough."

Troy looked at the desert that surrounded them. There were patches of brush scattered all around them as far as the eye could see but they were far enough apart that it would be easy to spot anyone trying to sneak up on the camp. "Okay, we'll set up our camp here."

"We should park the jeeps close together." Moffitt suggested as Tully rolled to a stop. Hitch heard the suggestion and wheeled his jeep over closer to Tully's.

"Do you have any ideas on how to protect the camp?"

"I do actually." Moffitt nodded with a quick glance around. "I suggest we throw the nets over the jeeps and try to disguise them as a rock formation. It won't fool anyone during the day, but for tonight, it just might do the trick. In all likelihood any of the bands headed for the meeting have already camped for the night. We will just have to be up early so that no one stumbled upon us when they begin their travels again."

"Hitch! Tully! Get the nets! Anything else?"

"I wouldn't recommend a fire at all."

"A cold supper and no campfire. It's going to be a cold night with that clear sky." Troy blew on his hands as if he had suddenly realized that it was already getting cold.

"We might be able to chance a fire if we shield it with a tarp." Moffitt relented.

"No." Troy shook his head. "I don't want to risk it. We'll just have to wrap up in our blankets and tough it out."

They soon had the jeeps covered and Tully found packets of rations to hand out.

"I kind of feel like a duck on a pond out here." Tully drawled. "Sure hope no duck hunters show up to disturb our sleep."

"If they do they're going to find that these ducks shoot back." Troy promised.

"It seems to me that if we go and get ourselves into a fight, the only help that's going to show up will be on their side."

"I had that thought myself." Troy agreed.

"We going to stay and fight or run?"

"Run if we can." Troy replied. "We're likely to be outnumbered before any help shows up."

"At least they won't be able to get around us without being seen. I don't much like being boxed in, I like room to move." Tully admitted.

"If we're discovered we're going to move if we can Tully. I'd rather not fight at all. The ideal thing would be to get in and out without getting into a fight. Any fight we get into is going to be lop-sided with us in the minority and I'd rather not alert them to our presence here."

"Sort of like normal huh?" Tully grinned.

"Yeah." Troy snorted in amusement. "Just like normal."

"Only this time the opposition may be able to call for more help while it will only be the four of us." Moffitt explained as he joined the conversation.

"Us four have always been enough." Tully drawled. "More of them only means we have more targets; we won't have to aim as well."

Moffitt laughed at Tully's assessment.

"Don't get cocky." Troy growled. "You're starting to sound like Hitch."

"That's okay." Tully nodded. "I like Hitch."

"I like you too Tully." Hitch said as he brought his meal over to sit with the others. "What did I do now?"

"You're taking this assignment pretty lightly." Troy replied.

"No I'm not Sarge. Trust me; I know how dangerous this assignment is. That Faisal guy almost got us the last time we met. Now you're saying that there may be more tribes ready to join him, that doesn't sound good at all."

"Faisal?" Tully asked in surprise. "Is he going to that meeting?"

"Quite possibly." Moffitt answered.

Tully chewed on his matchstick for a moment. "We aren't going to invite them for breakfast again are we?"

"If we do we'll be ready with a full buffet this time." Troy promised. He glanced over at his driver. "Hitch was hoping to see a dancing girl doing the lindy out there though."

Tully glanced over at his buddy.

"I told him to be careful what he wished for, that last one got you shot." Troy added.

Tully absently rubbed the arm where the bullet had grazed him at the ruins. He could easily remember the sight of the Arabs running down the slope to attack them before pulling back and taking pot shots at them. It had been between rushes that he had gotten wounded.

"Eat your supper and turn in." Troy ordered. "It's going to be a cold night so bundle up. I'll take first watch, Moffitt second, Hitch, then Tully. We'll get up early and be on our way just after sun-up."

"Why so early Sarge?" Tully wondered.

"This camp is too easy to spot in the daylight. I want to be packed and in the jeeps if we see any Arabs. That way we may have a chance of getting out of sight in time to avoid a fight."

Tully nodded thoughtfully. Tully and Hitch bedded down near the jeeps where the engines were still giving off some heat. "There's room for you too Doc." Tully offered.

"No thank you." Moffitt answered with a smile. "I don't think it would be wise for all of us to be so close together. I'll find a spot on the other side of the jeeps."

"Do you think one of us should move?" Hitch asked.

"I think you're fine where you are." Moffitt answered. "I will be fine over here alone."

"You're gonna get cold." Tully warned.

"I can use Troy's blankets on top of mine." Moffitt smiled. "He won't need them until he comes off guard duty and I have guard next."

"What are you going to use for blankets once you get off guard duty?" Hitch asked.

"I'll take yours." The sergeant answered. "When I chase you out your blankets will still be warm."

Hitch pulled his blankets higher and tucked them under his chin. "Okay Doc, I'll get them warmed up for you."

"Thank you Hitch, that's very nice of you."

Hitch grinned and rolled over and went to sleep.

"Do you really think that Faisal guy will be at the meeting?"

Tully's question carried across the night air even though it had been asked in a whisper. Moffitt paused to answer his driver. "It's a very real possibility. This meeting is supposedly an opportunity for the radicals to plot against the infidels they wish to drive out of their lands. Faisal and his followers have sworn to drive out all of the invaders, which include us."

"Never really thought of myself as an infidel." Tully drawled quietly.

"Anyone not born and raised here and a true follower of Sharia law are considered an infidel. The consider some of their own people infidels just for associating with us." The sergeant explained. "According to the extremists, anyone who has befriended us has turned his back on his homeland and his religion."

Tully nodded. "They don't have much tolerance for anybody who is different."

"Not much." Moffitt admitted. "They blame us for bringing our war here."

"Well they're right about that." Tully admitted. "But if I understand it right, these guys have been at war for hundreds of years. The combatants have changed but the war still goes on. They don't seem to get along with anybody."

"But that was between them. Men like Faisal believe that they have the right to fight over these lands but they don't like outsiders laying claim to any of it."

"Heck Sarge, we don't want it, we just don't want the Germans to have it."

Moffitt ignored the 'sarge' and tried to think of a way to explain the complex difficulties of the situation. "I don't know if they think we actually want it or not. They say we brought this war here and they want us to take it and leave."

"Pack it up and leave, just like that? Didn't they learn anything about war while they were fighting all that time?"

Moffitt shrugged.

"We're not asking them to help." Tully argued.

"Aren't we?"

Tully sat up, pulling his blankets around him. "What do you mean by that?"

"We hire spies and the Germans hire spies. Isn't that asking them to take sides?"

"No." Tully shook his head. "That's offering them a job. They can take it or leave it. If they accept, they work for us; they don't have to believe in our cause."

"But they work for us; to some it's the same thing."

"So what's the answer?"

Moffitt smiled and shrugged. "I have no idea. I'm not even sure I know what the real question is at the moment."

"So what so we do?"

"Just what we've been doing." The sergeant replied sadly. "We drive the Germans out and then maybe we can leave the desert to the Arabs."

"They'll still have wars." Tully stated.

"Yes, but we won't be involved anymore. They'll have to find someone else to blame. Their kind can never admit that they are part of the problem. The dynamics are complicated. There are feuds that go back a thousand years and no evidence that either side is ready to compromise."

"And I thought we held grudges in the mountains of Kentucky. We're amateurs compared to these guys."

Moffitt laughed. "You do hold grudges. I try hard not to make you mad at me, just in case. Perhaps it's the open space that keeps these feuds going. In Kentucky you are close enough that the sides run into each other quite often. They either kill each other off or come to an understanding. Here they are able to avoid each other until they can breed and raise more fighters to keep the hostilities going."

"You make it sound something like cock fighting. You breed the fighters, train them, and then put them together to battle it out, to the death usually."

"It is very similar." Moffitt agreed. "Many of these boys know they are expected to fight so they train from a young age. They learn to hate at a young age too."

"That ain't no way to live Doc."

"No, it isn't." Moffitt agreed. "But it is the only way that many of them know."

"And that's what we're up against here?"

"Faisal and his followers have declared a holy war against all infidels. They won't quit just because we don't want to fight them."

"Then we'd better be ready this time."

"I agree, and so does Troy."

"Then I guess we should get some rest. This could get tiring real fast." Tully declared. "Night Doc."

"Good night Tully."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Alliance**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 2

"Company Sarge."

Hitch's call drew Troy's attention to where his driver was looking. In the distance he could see a small group of horsemen riding toward the town ahead.

After breaking camp they had done their best to stay out of sight. The mid-morning sun was high in the sky before they spotted their first Arabs. The caravan had been moving slowly across the vast expanse of desert away from their destination. They had watched it from the shelter of the hills until it had passed out of sight. After that they had stayed on high alert so that they would spot the Arabs before the Arabs spotted them.

Troy motioned for Tully to pull up next to Hitch's jeep. When the jeeps were side by side Troy pointed at the horsemen. "What do you think Moffitt? Do they look like the type who would attend that meeting?"

Moffitt lifted his binoculars and studied the horsemen. Troy and the two privates kept a sharp eye on the hills around them until Moffitt made his decision.

"Well?" Troy demanded.

"They're heavily armed and traveling alone." The Brit answered. "If they were friendly I would expect to see women and children with them. They could be on a trading mission but I don't see any trade goods either. The pack horses are carrying small items, the kind you see with food and water, not trade goods."

"We'll follow them." Troy decided. "Maybe they'll lead us to the meeting site."

"They'll probably have guards out." Moffitt warned. "If this is a band on their way to a war council they won't take any chances."

"It's supposed to be a secret." Troy reminded him. "If it's a secret will they be overly cautious if they think no one knows about it?"

"They are aware that both the Allies and the Germans have spies in the Arab communities. They won't take any chances." Moffitt repeated.

"We'll follow their tracks." Troy decided. "We won't move in unless there is a chance that we'll lose the tracks." He looked around at the hills that surrounded them. "We can watch them with binoculars and stay away from their trail. Maybe they won't be watching the surrounding hills."

"I suggest that we stay alert for any ambushes." Moffitt spoke into the silence.

"Always." Troy nodded. "Okay, as long as we can see them with the field glasses we don't even have to follow their tracks. We'll stay as far away as we can. Keep the jeeps out of sight."

Both privates nodded and immediately began to alter their path to keep the horsemen in sight while keeping the jeeps hidden. They stopped often to allow the sergeants to climb the hills to check on the Arabs they were following.

Whenever they climbed a hill one of the sergeants would stand guard while the other one looked for the Arabs. They were always very careful to make sure that their binocular lenses did not reflect any sun. They would lose them as the Arab horses would drop into the valleys but pick them up again when they came back out. They followed for several hours in that manner.

The day went slowly, their speed determined by the pace of the horsemen. It was late in the afternoon when the second group of horsemen joined the first.

"That brings their number to around twenty-two." Troy counted.

"The odds are mounting against us if it comes to a fight." Moffitt agreed.

"How much further to that town?" Troy asked.

"At least another day, perhaps more."

"When it starts getting late we're going to take off and put some distance between us." Troy decided. "If they do suspect that we're here I don't want them sneaking up on us in the dark and catching us asleep."

"They could move their camp after nightfall and we would lose them." Moffitt warned.

Troy shrugged. "Better than getting wiped out while we're sleeping."

Moffitt couldn't argue with that.

"We know where the town is." Troy continued. "If we lose them we'll head for the town and see if they're there. The fact is, we're not even sure they are going to the meeting. Besides, there's bound to be others coming to the meeting that we can follow if we need a guide. I don't want to risk a fight against those numbers unless it's really necessary."

"It's your call but I was hoping you'd say that." Moffitt admitted. "As you pointed out, there will be others we can follow."

They followed the horsemen for another hour before Troy told his drivers to cut away from the horsemen and hunt for a campsite. They wanted one miles away from the trail they had been following.

Still sticking to low places and behind hills, the two jeeps searched for cover for a campsite they could defend. When they found one they quickly covered the jeeps and heated a meal. The fire was extinguished as soon as the food was warm.

"Another dark camp." Troy ordered as Hitch put out the fire he had used to heat the meals. "Turn in early; we're moving out at sunup."

No one spoke as they prepared to go to sleep. They all knew the danger they would face if the glow from a campfire was spotted by unfriendly forces. They all preferred the discomfort of a cold camp to the risk of getting shot. And there wasn't a man among them who wanted to be captured by the Arabs they were following.

Since their camp was miles from the place where they had last seen the horsemen they didn't see the Arabs who searched the hills where they had been. The Arabs didn't find anything because the night winds had erased any tracks left by the two small jeeps before their arrival. The jeeps themselves were long gone and the men had not left anything to reveal their presence. The Arabs searched the entire area but their search came up empty. Convinced that he had been mistaken when he felt he was being watched, the Arab leader sent his men back to their camp to get some much needed sleep.

The next morning found the jeeps once again within watching distance of the Arab horsemen. It had taken them nearly an hour to find them again but finally they had sighted them crossing over a distant hill.

"They keep looking back." Moffitt noted as he watched the men through shielded field glasses.

"They do seem more nervous than they did yesterday." Troy agreed.

"We need to keep an accurate count." Moffitt warned. "They could send scouts out to look around while the others keep our attention."

"We will." Troy nodded. "I don't like the way they're acting."

Near mid-day Troy took another count of the horsemen. It was just one of many they had taken during the day, only this time he came up short.

"Moffitt!"

The Brit lowered the canteen in his hand and looked up at the call. He noticed Troy's face and immediately handed the canteen to Tully to put away. Running up the hill, he dropped to his stomach next to Troy.

"I only count eighteen horsemen."

Moffitt glanced around quickly. They were hidden in the hills but their position was not secure. Even four men could pin them down until the rest arrived to help. He nodded at Troy and ran for the jeeps.

Tully and Hitch were ready when the sergeants reached the vehicles. Their rapid approach warned that something was amiss. They waited to see what the sergeants would say.

"Do you see anything?"

The two privates looked at each other and then back at the sergeants.

"Nothing Doc." Tully answered.

"Four of our Arab friends are missing." The Brit warned tersely.

Both privates turned and scanned the desert around them. As far as they could see the desert was empty. Only the hills hid any of their surroundings from them. They both checked the dunes above them for movement.

"Let's move!" Troy ordered as he joined his men.

The privates jumped into their seats and reached for the starters.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned to look toward Troy.

"Do you hear that?"

"Engines. Sounds like a couple of German patrol cars." Tully drawled after listening for a moment.

"Headed this way." Troy added.

Moffitt scanned the hills around them again. "We're trapped. If we move the Germans will see us, if we don't, the Arabs will find us."

"If the Arabs find us the Germans won't be far behind. The gun shots will bring them running." Troy predicted.

"I'd rather take my chances with the Germans." Moffitt decided.

Troy stood perfectly still and listened as the motors drew nearer. "We'll run if we're spotted." He decided. "Be ready." He glanced toward the top of the hill again. "Moffitt, you go to the top of that hill and keep watch. I'll go up this one. You see anything, yell and run for the jeeps."

The Brit nodded and picked up a machine gun to go up the hill. Hitch handed one to Troy before the sergeant started up the other hill. Hitch chewed his gum and waited with his hand hovering near the starter. Tully watched and chewed his matchstick into tiny pieces.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Alliance **

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 3

The sounds of the German motors drew closer and all four men braced for the shout that would propel them into action.

A gun shot rang out, followed by many more. All four men recognized the sounds of the German guns; the others had to be the Arabs. As they tried to figure out what was happening the sounds of the battle began to move away from them.

"The krauts are making a run for it." Troy called quietly. He could see the two German patrol cars trying to outrun the four Arab horsemen. One of the Germans jerked, grabbed at his chest, and fell from the vehicle. The horsemen ignored him as they continued to pursue the escaping cars.

One of the Arabs gave a yell and leaned forward to grab the mane of his horse. He continued to follow his companions but at a slower pace. He swayed in the saddle with every step of his mount.

Another German fell out of the car to lie motionless on the ground. Another one dropped out of sight on the floor of the car he was riding in. The cars were pulling ahead of the quickly tiring horses ridden by the Arabs. Several of the Arabs pulled their mounts to a stop while they dropped to the ground to stand and fire at the fleeing Germans. The others continued to chase after the cars despite being outnumbered.

The German soldiers lowered their rifles as their cars carried them out of range of the ancient rifles carried by their attackers. With the horses falling steadily behind they began to relax.

In the first car, the soldiers were patting each other on the back, congratulating each other on their survival. The driver twisted to look back, perhaps to join in the celebration. By doing so he lost precious reaction time to the appearance of the main group of Arabs who cut them off. By the time he saw them and began to react, it was too late. He was the first to die in the new assault. The men in his car died one by one as the car slowed without a driver.

The driver of the second car tried to drive around the large group of Arabs. He swerved sharply to the side, yelling at those in the back to get down. Two of them were already dead and the third could not react quickly enough to save himself. Bullets from the Arab rifles tore into his body, leaving only the driver alive. The horsemen cut off his escape and he was forced to turn to avoid hitting them.

The Arabs took turns shooting at the unfortunate driver as he tried to escape the circle of horses around him. Bullet after bullet tore into his body but he continued to drive in circles. His arms and legs had all been hit and he was bleeding profusely but he drove on. The Arabs didn't seem to be in any hurry to finish him off. The car slowed as the driver realized there was no way out. He stopped the car and faced the Arabs. One of the Arabs raised his rifle very deliberately and shot the driver in the face. A cheer went up from the others as the German's body flopped back against his seat. His head dropped forward and his body toppled to the ground. The Arabs swarmed the two cars shooting into the bodies before dismounting.

Troy watched as they stripped the men and the cars of anything of value.

"We should go Troy."

Troy jerked as Moffitt spoke since he hadn't heard his approach.

"They could come back to look for us." The Brit explained.

"Or they could think the Germans were the ones watching them." Troy reasoned. "If we run now they'll hear our engines. If we wait they may not realize we're still out here."

"It's risky."

"Yeah but we know where they all are now. If they head back this way we'll make a run for it." Troy was still watching the Arabs strip the cars.

"All right. There is always the possibility that the shots will bring more of the wrong kind of attention. There may be more unfriendly Arabs out here. It would be best if we were to see them before they see us."

"If we fight Moffitt, we fight to the death, nobody gets captured." Troy ordered solemnly.

Moffitt glanced toward the Arabs and nodded. "I think that that would be best."

"All right, get back to your hill and keep watch. No one sneaks up on us."

Moffitt nodded and slid backwards before getting to his feet. He ran to the jeeps and had a few words with both drivers before he resumed watch on the other hill.

Troy waited for a half hour after the Arabs left before he returned to the jeeps. He waved at Moffitt and the other sergeant joined him at the vehicles.

"They're gone." Troy confirmed. "They headed in the general direction of the town. I think it's safe to say that that is where they are headed. We're not going to follow them the rest of the way. I want to scout around and find a couple of good camp sites. We'll switch them up; I don't want to stay in one place too long."

"What happened over there?" Hitch asked.

"They chased those cars into a trap and cut them down." Troy answered shortly. His stony expression didn't invite any more questions.

"What were all of those spread out shots toward the end?" Tully wanted to know.

"Remember that turkey shoot with Hassan?" Moffitt asked quietly. Both privates nodded their heads. "They had another one; this time it was the driver of one of the cars."

"Darn." Tully muttered as both privates looked at the ground.

"Which brings up another problem." Troy told them. His tone had their heads snapping up again. "We don't know it they will try to take prisoners. They didn't out there but it may be different in town. Moffitt and I agree that it would not go well for anyone taken alive." He searched the faces before him for any sign that they understood what he was trying to say.

"Got it Sarge." Hitch nodded soberly.

"I don't want to find out what they do to prisoners." Tully responded.

"It won't be pleasant." Moffitt confirmed all of their fears.

"So we stay together and take care of each other." Troy ordered.

"Right Sarge."

Tully nodded.

"Then let's go find those camp sites. If we have time I'd like to check out the town and see what we're facing here." Troy climbed into his jeep but instead of taking a seat he climbed behind the 50. "Let's shake it!"

The sergeants weren't satisfied until they had located four different camp sites. Each one was easily defended and each one offered multiple escape routes if needed. Then and only then did Troy give the order to head for the town.

"There it is." Moffitt handed Troy the field glasses to study the town. As a precaution they had left the second pair with the jeeps so Hitch and Tully could watch the desert around them.

"Not much to look at is it?" Troy asked dryly.

"No, it's rather ordinary." Moffitt agreed. "The wall surrounds the majority of the homes. I imagine the well will be somewhere near the center of town. The homes of the oldest and the richest of the merchants will be near the center too. I would imagine that they would need a rather large building to hold the meeting. Even if only the leaders attend they will all have their bodyguards with them."

"Bodyguards?"

"No leader of any importance would travel around the desert without his own personal bodyguards."

"So we're going to have to get past them too?"

"Yes, unfortunately." Moffitt answered. "All the more reason to find the meeting place ahead of time and plant the listening devices. Our chances improve dramatically if we can avoid a confrontation with the participants."

"We still have to stay near enough to take pictures of the leaders who attend." Troy reminded him.

"I know. I did bring a telephoto lens for the camera. We won't have to get quite as close as long as the light is sufficient."

"What if the meeting takes place after dark?"

"Then we have quite a quandary." Moffitt admitted. "We'd have to get closer in that case and that increases out danger."

"How much closer?"

"A lot." The Brit responded.

Troy bit his lips. "That could be a problem."

"Quite."

"All right." Troy decided. "Let's set up a camp and come up with a new plan using this new information."

"Actually Troy, I was thinking that I could go into town and take a look around."

"Are you crazy?"

"Do you have a better idea? The information we have is not enough to come up with a viable plan. As we are now we would be forced to leave too much to chance. I believe you understand what will happen if we allow ourselves to be captured."

"But you want to go in there and look around?"

"I brought Arab clothing. If I go alone I believe I can find out what we need and get back out safely."

"And if you don't?"

Moffitt raised his eyebrows. "Then you may have to figure this out on your own."

Troy frowned. "Then you'd better stay safe because I have no idea how we're going to get this done."

"I'll go in during the day." Moffitt explained his plan. "A stranger will be less noticeable when the market is busy. The town should be full of strangers already; I'll just be another one. Once I find out what we need to know I will come straight back here. You and the lads stay safe, keep your eyes open for bands of Arabs."

"All right." Troy agreed. "I guess you're right, we need the information. That meeting is going to take place soon and we need to get in there ahead of time to plant the wires. Keep an eye out for that sheik, Sheik Sarharan, while you're in there. Did you memorize his picture from the packet the captain gave us?"

"Yes I did. I will recognize him if I run into him. Several of the others I am familiar with and I will recognize them too. I know them by sight."

"Do they know you?" Troy suddenly realized that Moffitt could be at risk no matter how he answered the question. The Arabs could know him even if he didn't know them.

"No. I saw them at various gatherings but I doubt that they even noticed me. I was just a foreigner and of no importance." Moffitt explained.

Letting his breath out, Troy nodded at his friend. "Let's keep it that way. Get in there and get the information but don't take any unnecessary chances."

"Understood."

"We'd better get back to the jeeps and let Tully and Hitch know the plan."

"They're not going to like it." Moffitt smiled.

"I don't like it." Troy growled. "But we're agreed, it's our best chance."

"Yes we are." Moffitt answered.

"I'll take care of them, you take care of you." Troy promised.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Alliance**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 4

Moffitt joined a couple of goat herders who were headed for the town. The herders didn't object to the help of controlling the herd in the crowded streets. The sergeant stayed with the men and their goats until they neared the market. As they neared the vendors stands he excused himself before the herders could ask him any questions. He walked straight to the nearest tea house and ordered the strong sweet tea that was the man drink.

He sipped the tea and listened to the talk at the nearby tables. The first thing that he noticed was that the conversations were mostly in whispers with wary looks around to see if anyone was paying attention. A tea house was a place where the locals gathered to meet and talk; only there wasn't much talking going on. The room was unusually quiet and Moffitt had to listen very closely to hear what little was being said.

After a while he noticed that he was starting to attract attention. Finishing his tea, he rose and left the room. He paused at the door, trying to decide where to look next. He heard someone walking up behind him so he turned and headed for the market. If he had to lose a tail the market would be the best place.

As he walked he tried to keep an eye on the people around him. He couldn't spot anyone who seemed really interested in him, at least not yet. Stopping at the vendors stands, he made a few purchases in his guise as a traveler. He chose fruits and breads that he could take back to the others to supplement their rations.

While he was wandering the length of the market he overheard bits and pieces of conversations about the upcoming meeting. He strolled the length of the street a second time as he tried to pick up more information. He pretended to be interested in some of the wares so he could stay close to the men he heard talking. When the men wandered away Moffitt happened to glance at the merchant. The old man was watching him curiously.

"I could not help but overhear." He smiled at the old man. "There is talk that Faisal may be in town."

The old man looked around before answering. "You are not from around here."

"No." Moffitt answered. "I am just passing through."

"You should keep moving." The old man warned. "This meeting that they have planned, no good will come of it."

"You know of the meeting?" Moffitt pressed the old man for answers.

"Yes, everyone knows." The merchant replied. "They are planning a holy war. What they are planning will be bad for all of our people. Angering the invaders will only result in reprisals against all of our people. Even the innocent will suffer."

"So they hate both sides of the war that is being fought in the desert?"

"Yes." The old man answered with a knowing look. "Which side do you fight on?"

Moffitt paused at the question. "What do you mean old one?"

The old merchant snorted. "Do you think me a fool? You are no more Arab than I am a camel."

"You don't look like a camel." Moffitt answered with a smile. "And I did not mean to imply that you were a fool. But we do agree on one thing; this meeting will mean trouble for all of your people."

"But there is nothing that can be done." The old man replied sadly. "There are those who will not be turned from that course."

"There may be a way.' Moffitt argued. "If we can learn of their plans, and identify those who want the war, then perhaps we could put the blame on those truly responsible."

"And how do you plan to do such a thing?" The old man asked. "Anyone who speaks with you will be killed."

"All I need is the place and time the meeting will be held. If I have that I can get the rest. We could identify the ones responsible." Moffitt looked at the old man. "Would you have that information?"

The old merchant considered him for a moment. "And then you would leave?"

"I will need to return before the meeting but after the meeting I will go."

"That would be best." The merchant nodded. "They are suspicious of strangers."

"I will do my best not to attract their attention." Moffitt assured him.

The old man smiled. "Then keep your head down so your eyes are hidden. That is how I came to realize that you were not what you seemed."

Moffitt smiled. "Thank you for the warning. Now if you could tell me when and where the meeting will take place I would be in your debt. Perhaps together we can prevent these men from putting anyone else in danger."

"I have my doubts," the old man answered, "but you are welcome to try. Those who came for the meeting do not care what happens to the rest of us. I will tell you."

The merchant described where the meeting would take place, giving detailed directions. Whenever anyone came near he would go into a detailed description of the wares he had for sale until they were alone again. In case anyone was watching, Moffitt made sure to buy several items from the old man. He left with the information he sought and the well wishes of the old merchant.

Not wanting to give any clue that the old man had helped him Moffitt made sure to stroll along the vendors stands for a while longer. He bought a few more items to help his cover. He was nearly at the end of the market when he noticed someone who appeared to be following him. Glancing around him, he ducked into an alley and hurried away.

The Arab who followed him was careless. He didn't check before he hurried around the corner to look for the sergeant. Moffitt waited, leaning close to the wall with a knife in his hand.

The Arab's eyes widened as he spotted Moffitt waiting for him. His own hand flashed toward a knife in his belt but he was too slow. Moffitt's hand flashed forward and his knife embedded itself in the other man's body. The Arab's knife clattered to the cobblestone street and his body doubled over Moffitt's outstretched arm.

Moffitt caught the body before it could slide to the ground. He pulled the lid off a large woven basket and set it aside. Looking around quickly, he determined that no one had seen the encounter. Dragging the body to the basket, he stuffed it inside. The lid was replaced after tucking the man's robes around his body. With one final look to be sure he hadn't missed anything Moffitt began to make his way out of town.

Nearing the edge of town he had to make his way around a large gathering. The raised voices made it easy to hear what was causing the crowd to congregate. Moffitt stopped as he recognized one of the speakers. Faisal stood in the center of the crowd drumming up support for his holy war. Remembering what the old man said, Moffitt pulled his head scarf lower over his eyes. He stepped deeper into an alley and listened to the rhetoric. To him it sounded like the same complaints he had heard a hundred times before. While he admitted that some off it was true, there was even more that was grossly exaggerated or blatantly false. The crowd didn't seem to be concerned with facts though, they were taking in every word. Moffitt shifted uneasily and looked around at the Arabs surrounding him. Many of the faces were angry, falling under the spell of Faisal and the other leaders with him. Realizing that if he were discovered he would not stand a chance of surviving he began to back away from the gathering. He drew a few glances but he ignored them and walked away. Trying not to hurry, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. It was not until he was clear of the town that he took his next easy breath.

There were no handy goat herders leaving the town so he made his way along the road alone. He expected to be confronted by angry Arabs at any minute; their hate-filled cries still echoed in his ears. He had recognized Faisal and several of the other leaders from the pictures that had been in the packet from the captain. He realized as he walked that the leaders who were going to attend the meeting were already present, stirring up support for their cause.

Moffitt's thoughts were filled with scenarios of possible disasters if the alliance were allowed to go forward. But of course, that was why his unit was there, to put an end to the alliance in any way they deemed necessary. Having lived among the Arab population Moffitt knew that not all of them felt the same as Faisal. He worried about the innocent ones who would be hurt if the alliance had its way. There were others who feared the same thing; those like the old merchant in the market. Moffitt hurried on, determined to stop the slaughter that he feared was coming.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Alliance **

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 5

Troy finished sorting the recording device and the reels of wire, adding a battery to the pile. He located the camera that Moffitt had requisitioned and put that in the bag too. The telephoto lens was wrapped separately and he had to tuck it carefully into the bag.

"Is Doc really going to go back in there and plant this stuff?"

Tully's quiet drawl captured Troy's attention.

"Yeah, he is." Troy admitted. At Tully's sudden frown he hurried to explain. "He's the only one who speaks the language. We can't risk sending anyone in who can't speak the language. They're going to be suspicious of everyone; they could stop us and ask us questions. They aren't going to let Moffitt answer for us without getting suspicious. It's too much of a risk."

"Who is going to watch his back?"

"We'll be on the edge of town. If we hear any alarms we'll go in and pull him out."

"What if he doesn't have a chance to sound an alarm?" Worried brown eyes stared at Troy, searching for some reassurance.

"If he doesn't come out we'll go in after him. If an alarm doesn't sound we'll give him a limited amount of time and go in anyway." Troy promised.

Tully nodded. He wasn't happy but he was convinced that if something went wrong they wouldn't leave Moffitt behind.

"Look Tully, I know it's not the ideal plan, but it's the best we could come up with. Moffitt knows what he's doing. Besides, you know he loves this stuff; all the sneaking around and intrigue."

Tully smiled. "You're right, he does love it. His eyes light up just talking about it."

"And he really is good at it."

Tully frowned again but he nodded his agreement. "I just worry that's all."

"We all do Tully." Troy chuckled. "I keep telling Moffitt he's going to give me gray hair if he keeps volunteering for these assignments."

"He didn't volunteer for this one."

"Going in was his idea."

"I wish we could be watching his back right now. He's been gone for quite a while already."

"We can't risk it during the day. We'd be spotted and blow the whole mission. Besides, your light hair would be a dead giveaway."

"I could dye it."

"We don't have any dye."

"Maybe we should carry some with us from now on."

Troy reached over and gave Tully's arm a squeeze. "I like you just the way you are. Let's not go changing anything unless we have to. Moffitt will be back, have a little faith."

"I have faith in Doc." Tully insisted. "It's just that things happen."

"Yeah they do." Troy answered. "But let's not borrow trouble. This mission has enough trouble without our making it worse."

"Okay Sarge, but if it's all right with you I'm going to go help Hitch keep an eye out for Doc."

"Go ahead. I'll keep an eye on the jeeps." Troy gave his permission and watched as Tully grabbed a machine gun to join Hitch. He'd tried to hide his own worry but he wasn't too sure that he had been successful. He eyed the jeeps and wished that he had gone to join Hitch before Tully got the idea. He was making yet another circuit of the wadi when he saw Hitch coming down from his post. "What's going on Hitch?"

"Doc's coming back."

Troy glanced at the jeeps again. "Keep an eye on the jeeps; I'm going to go meet him."

"Right Sarge."

Glad to be doing something besides standing around Troy hurried to meet Moffitt before Hitch could come up with a reason why he shouldn't go. It was at times like this that he was glad that he was the one who got to make the decisions. But he had to admit, there were other times when that responsibility was a real drawback.

Tully was walking up the hill to where Tully waited when Troy arrived. Troy stood beside Tully and looked toward the Arab town. The road was empty, no one was following Moffitt.

"How'd it go?" Troy asked as soon as Moffitt reached them.

"I have the information." Moffitt answered as Troy began to smile. "But I was followed and I had to kill the man who followed me." Troy's smile disappeared.

"Will anyone miss him?"

"Perhaps." Moffitt shrugged. "But what choice did I have?"

"Why did he start following you?"

"I don't know. They are suspicious of everyone. I must have done something to draw his attention."

"How long do you think it will take for him to be found?"

"No idea." Moffitt replied. "I hid his body in a basket. It could be days or it could be a matter of hours."

"Is it going to be a problem?"

"Again, I have no idea." Moffitt stopped walking to face Troy. "We don't really have a choice here. I have the information about the meeting. I know when and where it will be held. They're here Troy. I saw Faisal and at least three of the others stirring up a crowd in the middle of the town. If we don't stop this now the zealots are going to turn more of the people against. Many innocent people are going to die, on both sides."

"I know." Troy answered gruffly. "But maybe you should take someone in with you."

"It wouldn't work Troy. They'd be discovered and we'd both be caught. None of you speak the language."

Troy nodded reluctantly. "Okay, we'll stick with the original plan but I sure hope you know what you're doing."

"I hope so too." Moffitt admitted.

"I have the gear all packed that you're going to need. How are you going to get that bag through the gate?"

"I'm not; I'm going to go over the wall. I could try to hide it in my robes but I suspect it would make too much of a bulge. I think it best if I don't try to get it past the guards."

"Okay." Troy licked his lips. "Let's head back to camp and go over the plan one more time. If any of us attract attention we could all be in trouble."

"Count on it." Moffitt clarified. "They aren't going to be taking any chances and they won't be forgiving."

"We'll have our weapons with us but if we use them that's going to be it; we'll draw them right to us. If you need to defend yourself, stick to knives if you can."

"And hide the bodies." Moffitt added. "If they find a body they'll search the entire town."

"What about you?" Tully asked.

"I'll be all right." Moffitt assured him. "Not everyone agrees with these zealots. If I run into trouble I think I know a few people who will help me."

"Are you sure you can trust them Doc?" Hitch asked before blowing a bubble.

"I'm not sure of anything right now." Moffitt answered. "The only thing I do know is that we can't let this alliance get a foothold. It's dangerous enough when we have to fight a single tribe; if we allow them to join forces they might have the strength to drive us out." He watched as Hitch let the bubble pop before nodding at the explanation.

"You mean out of the area?" Tully asked.

"Out of Africa." Moffitt clarified. "The stronger they get, the more successes they have, the more followers they will draw to their cause. This is a very real threat."

"Can they do that?" Hitch asked in disbelief.

"Yes they can…if we let them."

"But we're not going to let them." Troy asserted. "We have orders to stop it and that's what we're going to do."

"If you say so Sarge." Hitch agreed with a small frown. He looked at Moffitt to see what he thought.

Tully just smiled and shook his head.

"The meeting is scheduled for 0900 tomorrow." Moffitt continued. "We'll need to plant the recording equipment and get into position before daylight. I'll stay close to the meeting to get pictures of everyone going in for future identification."

Tully and Hitch traded looks but neither made any comment.

"All right." Troy dropped his head and shook it from side to side. "We all know that this isn't the best plan but it is the one we have. We have to make the best of it. Time isn't on our side for this mission."

"Okay Sarge." Hitch agreed. Tully looked at Moffitt before he gave a nod of agreement.

They waited for dark before they once again approached the town. Moffitt had already checked the area and picked out the location for his microphone and recorder. He knew where he was going to wait to take the pictures and he had picked a place for the others to wait.

The area around the meeting place was surprisingly empty so Moffitt relented and allowed Tully to help him position the devices. Troy and Hitch kept watch to make sure no one spotted the activity. Then the four of them retreated to an old barn to wait for morning. Moffitt was planning to wait with them until just before daylight.

"Get some rest." Troy ordered. "I'll take first watch." While the other three sought places to sleep Troy wandered the barn. He spent his time peeking out into the street through the cracks in the walls. They each took a turn at watch so that they were all rested in the morning. Troy took over again as the sun began to lighten the sky.

"I suggest that you keep your movements to a minimum." Moffitt warned as they ate their cold rations. "Any little sound could draw unwanted attention."

Troy frowned, disappointed that they would not have the freedom to move around and keep their muscles loose.

Moffitt noticed his expression and smiled before adopting a straight face. "Really Troy, it's for the best."

"You're right. I just hate the idea of being still all day."

Moffitt allowed his smile to show. "Let's hope that you have the opportunity to stay still all day. If you have to move it will mean that you were discovered."

"Yeah, I'm not liking the alternative all that much either." Troy admitted.

The streets outside were starting to get crowded as Moffitt slipped out of the barn. He had been listening to the bits of conversations and translating for Troy as the locals walked by. At 0800 he went to take up a position where he could take pictures. He kept the camera hidden; only pulling it out when he needed to snap a photo. He would step back behind the edge of the wall and take a quick picture of anyone entering or leaving the building. He had pictures of all of the participants by the time the meeting started.

"Troy!" Moffitt whispered as he slipped back into the barn.

"Yeah?"

"I think I have pictures of all of the leaders."

"Good. Now what?"

"Now we wait for dark and we retrieve the recording equipment. Then we get out of here, hopefully without being discovered." Moffitt explained.

The meeting ended and the four men huddled in the dark barn and waited for night to fall. They shared more cold rations and conserved their water. It was just getting dark when Moffitt heard an outcry.

"Troy!"

"What?" Troy asked as Moffitt's urgent call interrupted his thoughts.

"Do you hear that?"

"What?" Troy demanded quietly. As he listened he could hear voices raised in anger. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"They found the man I killed yesterday." Moffitt translated.

"Great." Troy growled. "Are they going to search the town?"

"I can't tell." Moffitt answered. "But it might be a good idea to try and retrieve the recordings now. If we have to make a run for it we may not get another chance."

"Take Tully. Hitch and I will cover you."

"Make sure you keep your hair covered." Moffitt warned.

Tully nodded and adjusted his machine gun under his robes. He reached up and pulled his head covering lower over his hair. With it in place he looked at Moffitt for approval. When Moffitt nodded he double-checked his robes and moved to stand next to the sergeant.

"Ready?"

Tully nodded.

"Be careful." Troy warned.

The two men made their way to where they had positioned the microphone and the recorder. When no one was looking Tully pulled the microphone free and quickly wrapped the wires around his arm. Moffitt removed the tape from the recorder and stashed both items in his robe.

They were moving back toward Troy and Hitch when several angry looking Arabs approached the old barn. Troy and Hitch ducked for cover as the Arabs reached to open the door.

"Tully, stay behind me and pretend that you don't know me." Moffitt urged in a whisper. "Be ready to run."

Tully dropped back and Moffitt hurried toward the Arabs. As he got closer he called to them, asking what they were seeking. When they asked if he had seen any strangers he knew that they would have to leave town earlier than they had hoped.

He explained that he hadn't seen any strangers but they were welcome to search his barn if they wished. The offer seemed to reassure them and they relaxed slightly. Moffitt led the way into the barn, giving Troy and Hitch time to find cover. They took the time to position themselves so that they could silence the men before they could sound an alarm.

As the Arabs stepped into the dim light of the barn Moffitt began to talk to divert their attention. He asked why they were looking for the strangers. They told him about the body that had been found. He was pretending to be outraged while keeping them looking in the wrong direction.

Troy and Hitch leaped forward, crossing the space between their cover and the Arabs. Before the Arabs knew what was happening they were unconscious on the floor. Moffitt turned quickly and closed the door. Troy and Hitch hurriedly stripped the men of their weapons and dragged them deeper into the barn. Moffitt took a peek outside to see if anyone had noted the actions of the Arabs. Everything looked quiet so he took the chance of calling Tully.

"Tully, come in here!" He whispered and waved.

Tully looked around before slipping inside.

"Did anyone notice anything?"

"Not that I could see Doc."

Moffitt nodded in relief. "Keep an eye out while we tie these guys up."

Tully nodded again and pulled his machine gun out of his robes. Staying near the door, he looked through the cracks in the walls to watch the street.

Hitch cut strips from the Arabs robes to tie their hands and feet. Then he cut more to use as gags. When both Arabs were adequately bound Moffitt led the way to the door. The four men separated and traveled in pairs, each pair close enough to cover the other.

They made their way to the nearest gate, hurrying while trying to look like they weren't. They were almost clear before they were stopped. Moffitt began to bluff, giving Troy and Hitch time to catch up. When the Arab who had stopped them reached to grab Moffitt Troy was able to club him over the head. Moffitt shouted accusations of thief at the fallen man. The crowd gathered to see what was happening. Moffitt explained that the man had tried to pick his pocket. As the crowd turned on the fallen Arab Troy grabbed Moffitt's arm and the four of them slipped away in all of the confusion. They went through the gate and stayed close to the wall until they had circled halfway around the town to the point closest to their vehicles. Stepping boldly into the open they walked across the flat desert toward where they had the jeeps hidden.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Alliance **

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 6

"That was close." Moffitt sighed as they raced away in the jeep.

"You played that part well Doc." Tully praised.

"You did your part too." Moffitt told his driver. "You kept your head and didn't draw attention to yourself."

"I wanted to run in the worse kind of way." Tully admitted.

"But you didn't."

"I couldn't leave you guys behind." Tully answered simply. He shrugged as if that explained it all.

"For which we are grateful." The British sergeant assured him. "I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you. But the word will go out now and every Arab at that meeting will be looking for us." The sergeant went on to explain.

"Did you tell Sarge that?"

"He knows."

"Then maybe we'd better make tracks while we still have some daylight." Tully suggested.

Moffitt smiled and nodded his agreement. In the other jeep Troy had already thought of that. He had ordered his driver to keep his eyes open and make tracks as fast as possible.

Several hours later they pulled into a wadi to cool the engines. Hitch and Tully immediately lifted the hoods to allow the air to flow over the hot metal.

Troy sighed as he climbed out of his jeep. "That didn't go as smooth as I had hoped but I guess it could have been worse."

Moffitt smiled. "True. But as I warned Tully, the word will go out that there were intruders and everyone at that meeting will have people looking for us. Our best course of action is to put as much distance between us and that town as possible."

"We got the information and the pictures, but we haven't done anything to stop it. If anything we made it worse. Those leaders will use our presence to show that they are the targets and make it look like we are the aggressors. We still haven't found a way to discourage them."

"That may be true." Moffitt admitted. "But for now, I think it best if we just try to survive to get the information back to headquarters. We can find a way to break up the alliance once we have better control over the circumstances. We're badly outnumbered here Troy and we don't have the element of surprise on our side. Remember what I said earlier, any help that arrives will be on their side."

Troy nodded unhappily. "I had Hitch set a fast pace to get us away from there. We'll try to avoid contact until we have a plan. I just hate to leave without finishing the job." Troy looked around at the wadi that shielded them from sight. "We'll stay in the open from now on. They'll have a hard time sneaking up us and our jeeps can outrun their horses."

"You know, I don't think I like being the hunted instead off the hunter." Moffitt remarked as he too looked at their surroundings.

"I know what you mean, but we're not completely helpless. We're armed, we know they're out there, and we're ready for trouble." Troy replied. "We have a good head start on them. Word probably hasn't reached this far yet."

"Hey Sarge!"

Troy turned at Hitch's call and waited for his driver to continue.

"The jeep has a gas leak." Hitch explained.

"How bad?"

"Bad enough that it's got to be fixed." Hitch answered. "Even if it doesn't get any worse it's going to make us short on fuel to get back to our lines. I must have hit a rock or something when we were hurrying."

"Can you fix it?"

Hitch glanced at Tully. "I think so. I'll have to look and see what we have in the way of supplies. We don't carry any extra line but we may have something we can use to fix it temporarily. We can get it fixed it right once we get back to the base."

Troy nodded. "Get started on it right away." He turned to Moffitt with a worried frown. "It seems our bad luck is still with us. The longer we stay here the more time the Arabs have to catch up to us. Once they catch up we may not have a choice between running and fighting."

Moffitt looked at the jeeps and frowned. "I'll stand watch while they work on the jeep."

"We'll both stand watch." Troy replied.

Hitch and Tully worked as fast as they could but the sun was going down by the time they declared it fixed, and only a temporary fix at that. They both agreed that it would require a close watch to make sure that it didn't start to leak again. They all knew that gasoline on a hot engine was a recipe for disaster. It was decided that they would stop and cool the engines more often until it was fixed properly.

"We'll stay here for the night." Troy ordered. "I don't want to risk any more damage by driving in the dark. Hitch, take the watch. Tully, find us some supper."

Troy and Moffitt returned to the vehicles. Troy slammed his hand down on the hood of his jeep. "It couldn't have picked a worse time to start leaking gas."

"I disagree." Moffitt answered calmly. "It could have broken down out there in the open."

"We didn't get very far." Troy continued as if he hadn't heard the other's comment.

"No. We're still too close for comfort." The Brit agreed. "We may find ourselves entertaining company either sometime tonight or tomorrow. They know we have vehicles; they'll push to catch up. I'm afraid we've lost our advantage."

"How do you do it?" Troy asked, glaring at his second-in-command.

"Do what?" Moffitt asked.

"Stay so infuriatingly calm." Troy answered. "That first mission with us; you didn't seem fazed in the least by that German column bearing down on us. Even Tully was impressed by your apparent indifference."

"That wasn't indifference old man, that was a stiff upper lip. We Brits all have it." Moffitt replied in a haughty tone.

Troy huffed. "Yeah, I'll bet."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You didn't panic either if I recall."

Troy shook his head. "I didn't have time to panic; I was responsible for all of you."

"The lads seemed pretty unaffected too." Moffitt pointed out.

"Tully was sweating." Troy remembered. "He doesn't like feeling like a duck in a shooting gallery. He was keeping a close eye on them the whole time."

"And Hitch?"

Troy shrugged. "Hitch tends to trust me to make the decisions. He's willing to do what I tell him most of the time and leave the worrying to me. Even if he was worried he wouldn't have said anything in front you. You were new and he didn't know you. He wouldn't want to look scared in front of you."

"They're steady soldiers; the kind you can count on."

Troy turned to locate both of his privates. "Yeah, they are. They're good men."

Moffitt wiggled his eyebrows and sighed. "This could get hairy you know. It could possibly be worse than our earlier encounter with Faisal and his followers. There could be several bands out here looking for us. If we do encounter one the others may come running when they hear the gunshots."

"That's a possibility." Troy admitted. "But like I told Hitch, let's not borrow trouble. There's enough to go around without asking for more."

"I'm trying not to."

Troy smiled, changing the subject. "I have to admit. I like Hitch's take on why we get these assignments." Troy spoke softly so that only Moffitt could hear.

"What was that again? I seem to have forgotten." Moffitt replied.

"He says they only give us these assignments because they know that we can do them." Troy reminded him.

"Huh!"

"Hitch believes in us…and so do I." Toy watched Moffitt for his reaction.

Moffitt finally smiled. "As do I." He glanced toward the privates. "It is a bit humbling to know that they place such faith in us. "Do you ever worry about letting them down?"

"All the time." Troy replied honestly. "But he wasn't talking about just us….he meant all four of us, together."

"We make a good team."

"Yeah we do." Troy admitted. "And that is why we're going to finish this mission. We'll double the guards tonight and sleep right next to the jeeps. It means less rest but I'll feel safer with two guards on duty. I'll team with Hitch and you stand guard with Tully."

The night was dark and the camp was cold. Troy wouldn't allow a campfire, even to heat a meal. Despite the shelter of the wadi walls he didn't want the smell of smoke to alert anyone to their presence. He made it clear that the guards should keep an eye on each other as well as watching the surrounding desert. If one guard was taken out the other could hopefully alert the camp.

Moffitt had begun translating the tapes after eating his meal. As he stood guard he reviewed the information he had already translated. The Arabs at the meeting hated all infidels, Axis and Allied alike. They wanted to drive both sides out of the desert. He hadn't gotten as far as their actual plans yet but what he had translated was full of hate filled speeches.

He hadn't gotten a chance to tell Troy what he had discovered. Headquarters wanted to know if the Germans would be targets too, they would. The Arabs would be attacking both sides at any and every opportunity unless he missed his guess. He expected the unrest to spread unless they could find a way to stop the alliance. With the access the Arabs were given to the bases, the holy war could prove deadly for all concerned unless it was averted. As the sun began to rise over the horizon, so did Moffitt's unrest. He decided to talk to Troy sooner rather than later.

"Tully, I'm going to wake Troy early. Let me know immediately if you even think you see something out of the ordinary."

Tully nodded wordlessly. The ever present matchstick in his mouth rolled from one side to the other but Tully didn't ask any questions. Moffitt marveled again at the trust the younger men showed. The sergeant thought that even the slender shaft of wood between Tully's lips looked restless and uneasy but Tully never said a word. He went to wake Troy.

"What's wrong?" Troy jerked awake the moment Moffitt touched his arm. "Did you see something?"

"No." Moffitt admitted. "I just have this feeling Troy. I can't explain it, but I have a feeling that something is about to happen. Something bad."

Troy looked at the face above him and nodded. "Let's break camp and move out."


	7. Chapter 7

**The Alliance **

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 7

Sarge?"

"Yeah Hitch?" Troy looked over at his driver. They had been staying in the open and traveling at a fast clip ever since breaking camp in the wadi.

"How are we supposed to stop this alliance from forming?" Hitch looked at Troy with a puzzled frown. "I mean, I know Doc said we couldn't let it happen, but how do we stop it?"

"Moffitt says the best way is to make sure that none of the leaders rack up a lot of successes. The more successes they have the more followers who will join them. We have to make sure that they don't win the battles they start."

"But how do we do that? If we're not going to fight them, then how to we keep them from winning? Doesn't our avoiding them make it look like they're winning?"

"Do you want to fight them?" Troy asked. "You heard Moffitt. If we get into a fight the only help that shows up will be on their side. How is that going to help our cause?"

Hitch shook his head. "I don't mean that Sarge. I don't want to fight them." He paused to search for the words to express his concerns. "It's just…if we don't fight them then how do we make them look like poor leaders?"

"We may have to fight them," Troy replied thoughtfully, "but I prefer to pick my battles. The odds may be against us but that doesn't mean that we have to give them all of the advantages. We can still pick the time and place."

"We're carrying plenty of firepower this time." Hitch responded. "We even have extra explosives in both jeeps."

Troy smiled. "That may help but I would still like to pick my battle."

Hitch nodded and went back to his driving. Troy couldn't get the question out of his mind. How were they going to keep the alliance from forming? It already had the foundation in place. They needed to come up with a way to shake that foundation to its core.

Troy was still lost in thought when Tully slowed his jeep. Hitch noticed and slowed to match Tully's speed. The two jeeps were side by side as Troy snapped out of his thoughts.

"Do you hear that?" Moffitt called.

Troy listened. The faint sound of gunfire echoed across the desert floor. "Sounds like German guns. Small arms fire." He called back.

"And possibly Arab guns." Moffitt agreed. "You don't suppose they came hunting for us and found the Germans instead, do you?"

Troy shrugged at Moffitt's question. The British sergeant was smiling but his question had some merit. "That alliance doesn't like the Germans either, isn't that what you said?"

"Yes." Moffitt admitted. "They consider them to be invaders too."

Troy stared off toward the distant sounds of gunfire. "We can't attack the Arabs without playing into their hands. Any attack started by us would be considered an act of aggression. In order to make them look bad we're going to have to allow them to make the first move."

"That's true." Moffitt agreed. "If we attack them it would make them the victims, and us the aggressors. They would use that to gain more sympathy and attract followers. It would help them and hurt us."

"What if we go to the aid of the Germans? They attack the Germans and we step in to help; we even our odds a bit and hand them a defeat."

"What if the Germans attacked them?" The other sergeant asked.

"I think we should at least go take a look." Troy answered. "We don't have to get involved if we don't like the way it looks."

"It may give us a chance to eliminate one of the alliance leaders." Moffitt mused. "That is one of our objectives for this mission."

Troy looked over at Moffitt and smiled. "What are we waiting for? Let's go take a look." Waving the jeeps forward Troy began to consider all of the pros and cons of what they were about to do.

The jeeps slowed again as they drew near the scene of the ongoing battle. Hitch and Tully pulled behind a dune and stopped. Troy and Moffitt grabbed their binoculars and ran for the top of the dune to see what was happening.

A small German force was trapped in a narrow valley surrounded by hills. The Arabs were firing down on them from above. Several trucks were parked in the valley and the Germans were using them for cover. Bodies were scattered around the trucks in mute testimony to the effectiveness of the attack. There were Arab bodies sprawled on the slopes of the hills on both sides of the valley. It looked like the Germans had put up a stiff fight. As the sergeants watched the Arabs launched another attack on the entrenched Germans. They yelled and screamed as they ran down the hill firing at the soldiers. The soldiers in turn took careful aim and dropped more Arabs. The firing continued for several minutes until the Arabs broke and ran. The Germans continued to fire until the Arabs disappeared over the hill.

Moffitt had watched the charge with interest. Toward the end he noticed something that did not bode well for the defenders. "Troy, did you notice anything about that last attack?"

"Like what?"

"The firing slowed near the end of the attack despite the fact that the Arabs were almost on them." Moffitt explained. He looked over to see if Troy understood the implications of the news.

Troy turned his glasses toward the German defenders. "They're running low on ammunition."

"That would seem to be the case." Moffitt agreed. "And if that's true, they may be overrun on the next assault. They barely broke that last one in time."

Troy licked his lips. "Moffitt, do you think these guys could be part of that alliance?"

"I'm certain that they are." Moffitt answered. "I recognized their leader when he was directing the attack. He is one of the leaders who were standing beside Faisal in the street trying to incite the locals to join them in their holy war."

"All right." Troy decided. "You and Moffitt take the guys on that side of the valley. Hitch and I will take this side. Wait until they make another charge and then hit them with everything you have. Maybe if we can catch them between us and the Germans we can put an end to this band at least."

Moffitt ran to his jeep and told Tully what was happening. Tully was smiling when Troy reached the jeeps.

"We're going to be doing the dancing over the hill this time Sarge." Tully grinned.

Troy grinned back. "Yeah we are Tully. Just remember though, you took a shot at the dancing girl that last time. This time it's their turn."

"But we get to shoot back too. And this time we have the jeeps. We're not going to be sitting ducks like we were the last time."

Troy laughed as he climbed into his jeep. He sobered as he noticed Hitch's frown. "What's wrong with you? Don't you like the idea of taking the fight to them?"

"It's not that Sarge." Hitch answered.

"Then what is it?"

"I was hoping to see a dancing girl but I guess that isn't going to happen."

Troy tried to hide his smile. "Don't give up hope." He suggested. "Miracles can happen."

Hitch snorted. "I won't hold my breath."

Troy grinned. "Let's go. You can watch for your dancing girl while we take care of business."

Hitch shook his head and started the jeep moving. "Will this stop the alliance?"

"We hope." Troy answered as he cleared the 50. "There are no guarantees but if we can hand them a defeat right off the bat, maybe it will discourage others from joining them. If we can wipe out this group, maybe the others will think twice before making any deals with the devil."

Hitch nodded and waited for Troy to signal the attack. He adjusted his goggles and pulled his hat lower to shade his eyes. His jaws worked as he chewed his gum and waited.

The sergeant listened to the occasional gunshot as the Germans fired at random." They're wasting lead."

"Maybe they want the Arabs to know that they are still awake." Hitch offered.

"Of course they're awake." Troy argued. "They just fought off an attack."

Hitch looked over his shoulder at his sergeant. They had done something similar while they had been pinned down by Faisal and his band of zealots. Of course, they hadn't been short of ammunition at the time.

Troy ignored the look in favor of listening for a new assault. Shouts shattered the quiet as the Arabs once again ran down the hill toward the trapped Germans.

"Now!" Troy yelled as he grabbed onto the handles of the 50.

The jeep tires threw sand as Hitch hit the gas. There was a pause until the tires caught and then the jeep leaped forward.

Troy opened fire the moment the jeep topped the hill. The Arabs were so focused on their intended targets that they were caught completely unaware. When the jeep appeared raining death among them they hesitated. That hesitation proved to be fatal for more than a few of them. The Arabs suddenly found themselves trapped between two forces, the Americans and the Germans. Surprised, they didn't know which way to turn. Troy showed no mercy, hammering away at the Arab fighters while Hitch kept the jeep dodging their return fire.

On the other side of the valley Moffitt and Tully were hitting the Arab forces just as hard. Tully had placed a bag of hand grenades on the seat next to him and was tossing them as he drove.

The Germans were not sure what was happening but they were willing to accept the help no matter how misguided the Allies appeared to be. Even though they thought that the jeeps had mistaken them for someone else they were determined to take advantage of the circumstances. The targeted the Arabs with renewed fury borne of a hope they thought had been lost.

The Arabs, seeing scores of their numbers fall, scattered and ran to save themselves. The jeeps followed until the groups from the different sides of the valley reunited. Once the groups joined together Troy called off the pursuit.

As the jeeps drove past the fallen Arabs Troy took a hurried count.

"It appears that we spoiled their victory." Moffitt spoke from behind Troy.

"Enough to discredit their leader?"

Moffitt eyed the dead and nodded. "Like Faisal, this one has shown that he isn't the leader they thought that he was."

"Will it be enough to break the alliance?"

The British sergeant looked startled. "Break the alliance?" He shook his head. "These men will follow someone else who steps forward to lead them. Sheik Abdul Sarahan is still out there stirring up old resentments. This will only be a minor setback for the alliance. Mark my words, the sheik will find some way to pass this off as a success."

"A success? They lost half their men or better." Troy declared.

"More than half I think." Moffitt corrected. "But it's only one battle. We'll have to win more than that to destroy the alliance."

Troy sat back in his seat and thought about what Moffitt had said. "What about the Germans?"

"What about them? There are some survivors but I don't know how many. Do you want a count?" Moffitt glanced toward the trapped Germans in confusion.

"You said that the alliance wants the Germans out too."

"Yes?"

"What if we could somehow convince those Germans to join us? It shouldn't be that hard if, as we suspect, they are almost out of ammunition. Then if we can find a couple more of those bands and get them to attack us, we could join forces and give them a few more losses. Maybe that would discourage them.

"It might work, if the Germans would be willing to join us." Moffitt admitted.

"Let's go ask them." Troy grinned.

"Just liked that?"

"Just like that." Troy confirmed.

"All right, but how do we know that we can trust them to keep their word? They aren't all as trustworthy as our good Captain Dietrich."

"We'll have to take that chance." Troy decided. "We won't let our guard down. They can't double-cross us if we don't give them the opportunity."

"You can trust that commander if he gives his word." Tully announced. He rolled the matchstick in his mouth and waited for the questions he knew were coming.

"And just how would you know that?" Troy demanded.

"Because I know him, at least I've met him." Tully answered calmly. "He seemed like a guy you could trust. He kind of reminded me of Dietrich."

Troy cocked his head to the side to look at Tully. Moffitt's eyes glittered with interest. Hitch just looked surprised.

"Where did you meet him? If you don't mind my asking." Troy growled.

"I don't mind Sarge." Tully answered. "He's the officer who caught me a few weeks back;the one who sent me to the field hospital."

"Captain Treger?" Moffitt asked.

"Tieger." Tully corrected. "That's the one."

"Captain Tieger? Do you think he'd be willing to listen to our offer?" Troy asked.

Tully shrugged. "We could ask him."

"Would he honor a white flag?" Moffitt wondered.

"Yeah I think he would Doc. Like I said, he reminded me a lot of Dietrich."

"Then I guess there is nothing to do but ask him." Troy announced. "Since you know him why don't you switch places with Hitch? We'll go in and try to talk to him. Moffitt, you and Hitch give us cover." Tully and Hitch switched places and Tully climbed into Troy's jeep.

"I doubt that they have much ammunition left to throw at you but be careful just the same." The Brit warned. He eyed Tully as he continued. "Tully, you mentioned this Captain Tieger but you never went into a lot of detail. He treated you humanely but that does not make him trustworthy."

"I know that Doc." Tully responded unperturbed. "But I spent some time with him and his unit. I think I kind of got a feel for his character. I think he's trustworthy."

"We'll give him a chance Moffitt. We won't trust him too far until he proves himself, but we'll give him the chance to do that." Troy offered in the way of assurance.

"It wasn't just that he treated me well." Tully added. "It was the way he acted when he did it. It was as if he really cared what I needed, what I thought. He said he was curious about why I did what I did."

"Why you saved that driver?" Troy asked.

"That," Tully nodded, "and why I gave them the morphine and didn't ask for any myself."

"All right." Troy decided. "Let's go talk to him before he decides to pull out. I don't want to have to chase them down."

Tully started the jeep and drove toward the Germans who seemed to be waiting for another attack. As they stopped on the top of the hill Troy raised a white flag. They waited to see what the German commander would do.

Captain Tieger saw the jeep the moment it appeared at the top of the hill. He turned quickly and shouted for his men to prepare for another attack. The white flag took him by surprise. At first he only stared at the jeep, not moving as the flag caught a breeze. He didn't even react to the appearance of the second jeep.

"He speaks English doesn't he Tully?"

"Yeah Sarge, he does."

"Good, that will make this easier." When the Germans didn't shoot at them Troy ordered Tully to take them closer.

Tully eased the jeep closer, staying on the gentlest part of the slope. Halfway down he stopped and waited.

Troy stood in the rear of the jeep waving the white flag.

Captain Tieger watched the jeep approach with a puzzled frown. Finally he gave a few commands to his lieutenant and sent him rushing back to join their men. Captain Tieger waited until his officer was safely behind the shelter of the trucks before he stated walking toward the jeep.

As he approached the jeep the captain studied the sergeant holding the flag. He saw a compact but obviously fit soldier with an air of command about him. There was no sign of fear or arrogance, only confidence, a trait the captain wished he shared. He noticed that the sergeant carried a sidearm but was careful to keep his hands clear of the weapon. The captain breathed a little easier when the sergeant jumped clear of the 50 caliber machine gun in his jeep. Slowly the captain walked toward the sergeant.

He stopped in mid-stride when his eyes fell on the driver of the jeep. He recognized him immediately. There was no forgetting that calm expression in the face of danger. Even now the private seemed completely at ease. Captain Tieger forced himself to continue toward the Allied soldiers.

"Captain Tieger." Troy saluted the officer. Confused, the captain returned the salute.

"I don't believe we've met." The captain responded.

"The name's Troy, Sam Troy, sergeant. I think you've already met my driver." Troy indicated Tully.

"Yes, we've met." The captain nodded a greeting to Tully. "What can I do for you Sergeant? If you are expecting us to surrender I am afraid you are wasting your breath."

Troy smiled brightly. "I'm not here to ask for your surrender Captain. I have something else in mind."

"You wouldn't be considering surrendering yourself would you?" The captain allowed himself a smile.

"Not hardly." Troy replied easily. "But I do have a proposition for you."

"Go on."

"We want you to join us to fight the Arabs who attacked you."

The captain's eyes blinked in surprise. He looked like he wanted to laugh until he saw that the sergeant was serious. "I don't understand. They were attacking us; why would you help us? Do you hate them so much that you want to see them all killed?"

"We don't want to kill any of them." Troy assured him. "They are the ones who want a war." Troy went on to explain about the alliance the Arabs were trying to form. "They hate you as much as they hate us." Troy finished. "We were thinking that between your men and mine we could discourage that alliance. I have to tell you, this area is crowded with members of the alliance right now. They are looking for us but as you can see, they'll attack you too. They want us all out."

"But they are looking for you?" The captain repeated.

"Right now they are." Troy admitted. "We crashed their meeting. But they aren't real particular who they kill as long as they can claim we're intruders."

"I appreciate the warning Sergeant." The captain replied. "I'm just not real sure how I can help you. Your men and mine working together; how would that play out?"

"It's simple Captain." Troy answered. "We both travel in the same direction. The Arabs will attack one of us sooner or later. When that happens the other one will come to help. If we can hand them enough losses we just might be able to convince them to give up this idea of a holy war against us."

"And what do we get out of the deal?"

"Look at it this way Captain." Troy argued. "Our jeeps can outrun their horses. Your trucks are quite a bit slower. Who do you think is going to get hit the hardest?"

Captain Tieger began to nod as he acknowledged the truth of what Troy said. He hesitated a minute, debating if he could trust the Allies to tell them about his problems. Deciding that they would know soon enough anyway, he made the decision to trust them. "There are a few problems with your plan Sergeant."

"Such as?"

"First, and most importantly, my men are about out of ammunition."

Troy nodded. "We figured that." At the captain's surprised look Troy went on to explain how they had come that conclusion earlier. "We noticed how your response to that last attack seemed a little weak toward the end. It was pretty obvious that you were trying to conserve your ammunition."

The captain looked embarrassed at the observation.

"What else is wrong?"

Captain Tieger looked toward his men. "Two of our trucks are broken down. There may be more after that last attack. I don't have enough vehicles to move my men out of this valley."

"What's wrong with them?"

The captain shrugged. "I'm not a mechanic, and unfortunately, neither are any of my men. We sent out a call for help but so far we haven't received an answer."

"I'll tell you what Captain," Troy replied, "if you agree to help us defeat the Arabs I'll have my men take a look at your trucks. I can't make any promises but maybe they can get the trucks going for you."

"They are mechanics?" Tieger looked over at Tully. "I thought they were drivers."

"They're whatever I tell them to be." Troy answered with a grin. "But it just so happens that they're both pretty good mechanics."

"All right Sergeant, if they can get the trucks fixed we will make an alliance of our own." The captain promised.

Troy turned and waved for Hitch and Moffitt to join them. He turned back to Captain Tieger. "Maybe you should go back and tell your men that we're going to be on the same side for a while. Make sure they don't take any pot shots at my men."

The captain turned and began to call to his men. As he finished his lieutenant stepped from behind the trucks and began to walk toward the captain and the jeeps.

"We still have the problem of ammunition." The captain pointed out. "I don't know much help we can be if we don't have any way to fight."

"There is a cache not far from here where you can resupply." Troy suggested.

"Our weapons can't use your ammunition Sergeant."

"It's not ours, it's yours." The sergeant responded with another smile. "Once we look at the trucks we'll lead you to it."

"How do you know about one of our ammunition caches?" The captain asked suspiciously.

Troy didn't try to hide his amusement. "We're recon Captain, it's what we do. It's our job to know about these things."

The captain scrunched his face up as he looked at Troy. "That's not all you do, we know that from experience." He glanced over at Tully.

Hitch and Moffitt pulled up next to Tully and Troy.

"Captain, this is my second-in-command, Sergeant Moffitt. The other driver is Private Hitchcock. This is Captain Tieger." Troy made the introductions.

"This is my second, Lieutenant Howser." The captain returned.

The sergeants nodded at the lieutenant as Hitch acknowledged his introduction. The two sides studied each other in the silence that followed. Hitch broke the silence by blowing a bubble and letting it pop. The sound startled both of the Germans who turned to watch as he began to blow another big pink bubble. Hitch looked back at them with undisguised curiosity.

Troy and Moffitt exchanged grins at the German's reactions to their men.

"Tully, you and Hitch take your toolbox and go with the captain. He has a couple of trucks that need to be fixed. See what you can do."

Tully nodded wordlessly.

"What are you going to be doing Sarge?" Hitch asked.

"Moffitt and I will take the second jeep and keep an eye out for the Arabs. If they run into any others in the alliance they may decide to try for the captain's group again. The captain's men are low on ammunition so we don't want another fight until we can get them more."

"You think they'll come back?" Tully asked. "We whipped them pretty good." He looked toward Moffitt.

"We have to assume that they will until we know for sure they won't." Moffitt answered.

Tully nodded and shifted his matchstick to the other side of his mouth. Turning to Captain Tieger he smiled. "Where are those trucks Captain?"

"Follow me, I'll show you." The captain turned and led the way toward the trucks. His lieutenant looked back at the Allies before following his captain.

Hitch moved out of the driver's seat to allow Tully to drive. Tully checked on his toolbox before taking the seat. Putting the jeep in gear he slowly followed the German commanders.

"Watch your backs." Troy warned quietly as the jeep moved away.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Alliance**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 8

"Do you think you can get them going?"

Tully pulled his head out from under the hood to answer the captain. "I think so sir, but it's going to take a while." Tully walked over to where Hitch was checking another truck. "You'd better go tell Sarge that we're going to be a while. See if that changes his plans any."

"Will you be all right here alone?" Hitch kept his voice down so he wouldn't be overheard if any of the Germans understood English.

"I'll be fine." Tully nodded. "Go tell Sarge." Tully took his toolbox out of the back of the jeep and turned to go back to the truck he was working on. Hitch hesitated a moment before driving off.

Troy looked over in surprise as Hitch pulled up next to his jeep. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to help Tully."

"Tully sent me to tell you that we are going to be here a while. We think we can fix the trucks, at least a few of them, but it will take some time." Hitch explained.

"Okay, so fix them."

"He wanted you to know in case it changed your plans." Hitch continued.

"Changed them how?"

"We were talking." Hitch answered. "The Germans aren't going to be much help until they get more ammunition." Troy waited for Hitch to continue. "We were thinking that maybe you could borrow a couple of the captain's men to help you go to that cache and get the ammunition while we fix the trucks."

"And leave you alone here?"

One of you could stay with a borrowed gunner, or driver, while the other one took help and went to the cache." Hitch looked anxious as he made the suggestion. "That way we would have protection and the Germans would have their ammunition sooner."

"That's actually a good idea." Moffitt agreed. "It's hardly likely that the captain's men would make a move while we have two of their men, and we are going to get more ammunition for them. They would be better off if they waited until our return to make any move. That is assuming that they have any plans to double-cross us."

Troy looked at Moffitt. "I really don't like sitting here with the Germans low on ammunition. We can help but the captain's men are sitting ducks."

"Then shall we go ask the captain if we can borrow two of his men?"

"Okay, let's do it."

"Tully says we can trust that captain." Hitch reminded them. "I think I agree with him."

Captain Tieger was surprised to see both jeeps returning. Thinking that they had spotted the Arabs about to continue the attack, he called for his men to take cover. The captain walked out to meet the jeeps.

Troy eyed the German soldiers warily as the jeep approached the trucks. He only continued because Tully seemed unconcerned and the officer was standing out in the open.

"Is something wrong Sergeant?" Captain Tieger called.

"You tell me." Troy replied as he eyed the soldiers behind their trucks.

The captain looked back at his men. Realizing how it must look, he hurried to explain. "I thought when I saw you returning that you had spotted our mutual enemy. Have you?"

"No." Troy replied relaxing his guard. "We have a request."

"Very well, ask."

"We'd like to borrow two of your men."

"For what exactly?"

"We want to go to that cache and get some ammunition for your men before the Arabs get back but I don't want to leave you unprotected. One of your men will stay with Sergeant Moffitt and watch for the Arabs while the other one goes with me to get the ammunition."

And you think this is the best way to do it?"

"Hitch and Tully say it is going to take a while to fix the trucks." Troy explained. "Those Arabs aren't going to give up too easily. If they meet more of their friends they could come back for another try. I don't want your men unarmed if that happens. I think this is our best option."

"Very well Sergeant, I think I can spare two men. Do they have to speak English?"

"Sergeant Moffitt speaks German so he can communicate with the one who handles his gun. Just tell the one who goes with me what we have planned and tell him to follow orders. I think I can communicate with hand signals to get the ammunition."

The captain turned and called out two names. The men he summoned arrived looking confused and nervous.

"Okay Hitch, go help Tully."

"Right Sarge."

Moffitt tried to put the nervous soldiers at ease by introducing himself in German. After they got over the initial shock of hearing him speak German they managed to give him their names. Moffitt smiled at the names. "Martin? You wouldn't happen to be the same Martin who stood guard over Tully to see that he was treated kindly, would you?"

"He saved my life." Martin answered quietly. "I tried to help him in return."

"Tully spoke highly of you." Moffitt assured him. "I thank you for looking out for my friend. He said that you probably saved his life too."

"Not really." Martin disagreed. "He was wounded but it was the doctor who saved his life, not me. Besides, he saved my life twice."

"Twice?" Moffitt looked surprised. "He must have forgotten to mention the second time to us."

"I did not mean to get him in trouble." Martin stammered in alarm.

"You haven't." Moffitt assured him. "Tell me, how did he save you the second time? We know about the burning truck."

"When our convoy was attacked he knocked me down as the bullets hit our truck." Martin explained. "That move saved my life. The other guard stayed on his feet and was killed."

"That sounds like our Tully." Moffitt smiled. "He always looks out for others first."

"Even the enemy?"

"If he likes them." The sergeant nodded.

Martin's mouth dropped open.

"Relax Martin, this can be our own little secret, no one else needs to know." Moffitt smiled at the German soldier again.

"Moffitt?"

"Yes Troy?" Moffitt turned to face Troy.

"Can we get to work? Explain to these guys what we want them to do."

"Right." The British sergeant explained what had to be done. Neither of the soldiers asked any questions, afraid that they would get into trouble if they did. "Are you ready?" He asked when they stayed silent. Both solders nodded with uncertainty. "They're ready Troy."

"All right. You stay here and watch for the Arabs, we'll be back as soon as we can get the ammunition and get here."

After Troy and his borrowed help left Moffitt continued to talk to Martin.

"How did you find Tully in the desert?" Martin asked. "We tried to find him after help arrived but we couldn't."

"It was sheer luck." Moffitt answered.

"He was lucky." Martin agreed. "He survived the attack on our convoy, the wreck of his jeep, being shot, and another attack on a convoy. Then you managed to find him in the desert. I wish I had that kind of luck."

"Luck is largely made." Moffitt smiled. "You make it yourself. Tully is hard to kill."

"I am glad." Martin admitted. "I'm not sure how I came to like an enemy but I find that I like him too."

"An enemy because of our loyalties." Moffitt explained. "Perhaps after the war he could be a friend. We are after all just men. We are bound to find those among the enemy who share our interests and values. Stranger things have happened in war."

"But we cannot be friends now." Martin stated sadly.

"You can for however long this truce lasts." Moffitt suggested. "For now we are allies, not enemies. And who knows what will happen in the future. This war will not last forever you know."

"I feel as though it has been going on forever already." Martin answered.

"It feels that way." The Brit agreed. "But it will end someday. We can only hope that our leaders come to their senses and come to some sort of compromise before we destroy everything around us."

Martin looked at the desert that stretched for miles in every direction. He didn't see how the war had changed a thing in the desert. Then he thought about his homeland and England, where the bombs fell daily. It saddened him to think that innocent civilians were being killed. "I hope you are right and I live to see peace once more. I long to go home to my family."

"You see," Moffitt smiled, "that is another thing we have in common."

Martin fell silent thinking about what they had said. He wondered what his friends would say if he told them what he had talked about with an enemy soldier.

The day wore on and Moffitt was starting to watch for the other jeep. The cache wasn't so far that it would take long to get there. He was worried that Troy might have run into trouble along the way. His concern started to rub off on Martin. He noticed immediately when Sergeant Moffitt stiffened as he scanned the desert with his binoculars. He was waiting expectantly when the sergeant returned to the jeep.

"The Arabs are returning. I only saw a few but they could have been sent ahead of the main band to keep an eye on us." Moffitt was tense as he told Martin what he had seen. "We need to go warn Captain Tieger."

Martin nodded his agreement but he was not sure what good it would do. He knew how short his fellow soldiers were on ammunition. If the other sergeant didn't return in time with the ammunition they would not have much of a chance.

"They don't have much ammunition." Martin admitted. "How will they hold out?"

"We'll try to delay the attack for as long as we can." Moffitt answered. "We'll take the battle to them. Remember, they must fire the first shot." The sergeant reminded Martin.

"I don't understand." Martin said. "Why must we wait?"

"We are trying to defuse the situation, not inflame it. If we fire the first shot we are the aggressors. We need them to be the aggressors."

"But they attacked us first!"

"And they must do so again." Moffitt replied. "We must not look as if we are the ones who want the fight. We don't want to encourage others to join them in their holy war."

"I understand. Martin nodded.

"Then let's do this."


	9. Chapter 9

**The Alliance **

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 9

"Hand me that wrench." Tully held out his hand and Hitch gave him the wrench he wanted. "You want to give me a hand holding this brace in place?"

"Sure." Hitch answered, dropping to the ground to slide under the truck.

"Is there anything my men can do to help?" Captain Tieger asked from his place beside the truck.

"No thanks Captain." Tully replied. "They don't speak English and it's faster to do it ourselves than to try to explain it to them."

"Very well private, if you don't need me I think I will check our defenses."

"Knock yourself out Captain, but if the Arabs come back Doc will let us know before they get here. You can count on that." Tully answered.

"I trust that he will Private, but I would feel better if I checked my defenses myself."

Tully chuckled.

"Did I say something funny?"

"Sorry Captain, it's just that you remind me of Sarge. He wouldn't leave anything to chance either and he would insist on checking for himself. That's just the way he is."

Captain Tieger smiled. "Since you obviously respect your sergeant I shall take that as a compliment. If you need anything just call, I will be around."

Hitch peered out from underneath the truck to watch the captain walk away. "I can see what you mean about him." He told Tully.

"About what?" Tully asked as he fit the wrench to the nut. "Hold this up like this." He pushed the brace up where he wanted it.

"He does kind of remind me of Sarge." Hitch answered as he held the brace. "And he reminds me of Dietrich too." Hitch was smiling when Tully looked over at him.

"Yeah, and either one of them would be telling us to get this job done." Tully muttered. He tightened the nut and checked to make sure that the brace hadn't shifted. "That should do it for this truck. I guess we should try it to make sure it runs okay. Then we can get started on the next one."

"Okay." Hitch slid out from under the truck to give Tully room to slide out. He reached for the machine gun he had leaned against the truck but his hand came up empty. Looking up he saw the German soldiers standing around them; one of them was holding the missing weapon. "Ah, Tully."

"Yeah?" Tully asked as he slid into the open.

"I think we may have a problem."

"What?" Tully looked up and froze. "I see what you mean." He looked around for Captain Tieger but the officer was nowhere in sight.

The soldiers around them shifted as they got to their feet. Indecision was written on the face of the one holding the weapon. Tully and Hitch stood and looked back at them.

"Now what?" Hitch asked.

"Beats me." Tully replied out of the corner of his mouth. He continued to watch the Germans.

Hitch stepped forward and extended a hand for his weapon. When the German didn't hand it to him he just stood there with his hand out. He wiggled his fingers in an invitation. When the other soldiers didn't offer any advice the soldier shrugged and handed the weapon back.

"We'd better try this truck and start on the next one." Tully suggested again.

Hitch nodded and went to climb into the truck. The soldiers watched as he reached for the starter. They began to smile when the truck fired and started on the first try. The engine clattered more than Hitch would have liked but it was a German motor so that was to be expected. He listened to it run for a minute before he shut it down and followed Tully to the next truck. The soldiers parted to let him pass and he nodded in thanks. They looked more interested than hostile after the truck started.

"Is everything all right?"

Hitch pulled his head out from under the hood of the second truck to look at the captain. "Fine sir."

The captain eyed the men standing around watching the privates work. "Were you able to get the other truck started?"

"Yes sir." Hitch replied. "It should get you wherever you're going."

What about this one?"

"This one." Hitch shook his head. "This one may take a bit more work. You wouldn't happen to have any spare parts around would you?"

"I believe one of the trucks was carrying spare truck parts among other things." The captain answered.

Hitch gave the captain one of his megawatt smiles. "Then we just might be in business Captain. Is there any chance we could get a look in that truck?"

"Of course Private, this way." The captain led Hitch and Tully to one of the trucks and stood back as they crawled over the tailgate. They began to look through the boxes searching for the parts. "That one is canteens. That one is spare parts for a tank." The captain looked in and translated the writing to help them sort through all of the boxes. It took fifteen minutes to find the parts marked for the trucks. "Are they what you need?"

Tully was busy prying the lid off the crate. "We need a couple of things. It looks like these will fix one truck, but I still need a part for the carburetor for the one we're working on." He continued to look through the parts. "Here it is." He called when he opened another crate. "Now we can get that truck fixed."

"About time." Hitch answered. "I found some hoses here so we can replace the ones that are rotted. Maybe we can get done before Sarge gets back."

"When do you expect him back?" Captain Tieger asked.

"I thought he'd be back by now." Hitch answered. He tried to hide his worry from the German.

"It's a good thing he's not back yet." Tully added. "He told us to get these trucks fixed."

"That's what we're doing." Hitch answered.

"Right now you're standing around jawing. How about getting out of this truck so I can get out and get to work? One of us has to get something done." Tully took Hitch's thoughts off of Troy's late arrival.

"Sure Tully you can get right back to work. One of us has to get the work done." Hitch grinned. "Sarge will get back and wonder why we aren't finished."

Tully cocked his eyebrow at Hitch suspiciously. "And what are you going to be doing?"

"Watching you to make sure you do it right of course." Hitch grinned again. "Somebody has to supervise."

"Let the captain do it." Tully growled. "You get started replacing those hoses."

Hitch laughed. "Okay, if you insist."

Both privates were head first under the hoods of the trucks when the jeep raced into the valley.

"It looks like the Arabs found some help and they are on their way back here." Moffitt reported to Captain Tieger. "Are the trucks ready to move?" The last question was directed at Tully and Hitch.

"Not yet Doc. We got one running but we had to find parts for the others." Tully answered.

"I'm afraid that we are out of time. The Arabs will be here soon."

"Any sign of Sarge?" Hitch asked.

"Not yet. We can't wait for the ammunition; we need to plan our defense. The Arabs aren't going to wait for Troy."

"What do you want us to do?" Hitch asked.

"Keep working on the trucks." Moffitt ordered. "Martin and I will try to delay the attack as long as we can."

"With one jeep?" Hitch asked.

"It's all we have." Moffitt answered simply.

"I'll work on the trucks." Tully said. "I should have them done in half an hour or so. I can help Hitch if he needs it."

"Good luck." Moffitt answered. "I'll see you in a little while."

"Luck Doc." Tully and Hitch answered together.

"Captain, I suggest that you warn your men to conserve ammunition. We don't know when or if Troy will be back with more."

"I already have Sergeant. They will hold their fire until they are sure of a hit." Captain Tieger assured Moffitt.

Moffitt tossed two boxes of ammunition for the machine guns to Hitch. "Maybe you can use these."

Hitch nodded and watched as the jeep drove away.

"Let's get busy before those Arabs get here." Tully suggested.

Tully worked furiously to finish the trucks. He skinned his knuckles numerous times trying to finish before the Arabs arrived. The first bullets began to pepper the sand around the trucks as he finished installing the carburetor. Since it wasn't safe to work on the trucks anymore he ducked underneath one to help repel the attack.

Tully took his machine gun and ducked beneath a truck to help drive the Arabs back. Hitch joined him a minute later. With screams and yells the Arabs swarmed down the hills toward them. Behind them Moffitt and Martin cut them down with 50 caliber fire. The first Arabs hesitated when the 50 opened fire but they surged forward again when a new group charged Moffitt from the rear. With the jeep under heavy attack the Germans behind the trucks were on their own.

The Germans with guns held their fire until the Arabs were close to their position. The others looked for weapons they could use in hand-to-hand combat. Tully and Hitch added their fire to the effort and were able to help keep the Arabs from overrunning the trucks.

"Are you all right?" Captain Tieger appeared behind Hitch and Tully and checked to see if they had been hurt.

"Fine Captain. How did your men make out?" Tully answered.

"They are almost out of ammunition; I doubt that we can repel another attack." The officer answered.

"What about hand grenades?" Hitch asked.

"We would have to let them get awfully close to use hand grenades" Tully answered before the captain could reply. "If we let them get that close they'll probably overrun us."

"What about slingshots?"

"I have mine," Tully answered, "but I doubt it will be much help." He looked down at the fine grit at his feet. "There aren't any decent stones to use for ammunition and I'm not about to use bullets as long as we have two perfectly functional machine guns available."

"I meant to shoot hand grenades." Hitch replied.

"Hand grenades? They're too heavy to shoot with a slingshot." Tully snorted.

"What if we had some really big slingshots?"

Tully looked at Hitch in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

Hitch turned to Captain Tieger. "Do you have any hand grenades?"

"Yes, I suppose I could find a box or two."

"Better than nothing." Hitch answered. Turning back to Tully he began to explain his plan.itch answered. Hit

"While we were looking around in that truck I found some rubber tubes for the truck tires. Now what if we took a couple of them and cut them into strips? We could tie the ends between the truck bumpers. They should be capable of throwing a grenade quite a distance don't you think?"

"Old fashion rocket launchers minus the rockets." Tully nodded. "I like it."

"I will have my men bring some of the tubes and the grenades." Captain Tieger nodded.

"We'll need some rope too." Tully called after the captain.

"Breakfast buffet?"

"Here we go again."

"If you see a dancing girl doing the lindy make sure you let me know so I can see her too." Hitch ordered.

"A dancing girl?"

Both privates turned to see Captain Tieger looking confused.

"Private joke." Hitch explained.

"Only funny to privates?" The captain guessed.

"Something like that." Tully confirmed.

"The hand grenades and tubes are here. The rope is on the way."

"Good." Tully and Hitch both pulled knives and reached for the tubes. They had them sliced into strips by the time the ropes arrived. Staying low they tied the strips between the truck bumpers. Next they divided the hand grenades between the various slingshots.

"Do your men understand how these work?" Tully asked.

Captain Tieger turned and asked his men a few questions. They nodded in reply and he called a few names. The men called stepped forward to take their places at the slingshots. "These men say they understand what you are doing. They have volunteered to try it out."


	10. Chapter 10

**The Alliance **

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 10

"The truck could be ready in another ten minutes if we could get to it to work on it." Tully explained as they waited for the next attack.

"It's too dangerous." The captain decided. "They could attack again at any moment. I can't risk letting you try it."

"What about support?" Hitch asked. "Didn't you say you called for help?"

"Yes, hours ago."

"Is someone on the way?"

"I don't know, our radio was hit with a bullet before we received an answer. We did manage to get out our location, but we can't be sure that anyone heard the call."

"I guess we're going with the slingshots then." Tully sighed.

"Okay Captain, tell your men not to forget to arm the grenades before they throw them. In the heat of battle they might get anxious and forget." Hitch smiled to show that he meant no disrespect. "They probably already thought of that but there's no sense taking chances."

"I don't suppose we'll get another chance at this; it's an understandable precaution considering what is at stake." The captain agreed.

"Yeah," Tully nodded, "I doubt that we have enough hand grenades to attempt it twice."

The gunshots increased and suddenly the Arabs were running toward them again. The German soldiers began to fire back but it was obvious that they were trying to conserve ammunition.

"Those slingshots will throw those grenades farther than we can but they aren't like mortars." Tully warned. "They'll have to get the range in only a shot or two. We need to make those grenades count."

Captain Tieger nodded as Tully and Hitch ducked under the truck again to aid in the defense. The jeep appeared behind the Arabs again and again the Arabs divided into two groups to face the double threat. Moffitt and Martin kept their group busy while the others attacked the Germans.

On both sides of them Tully and Hitch could hear firing pins smacking down on empty weapons. There were fewer guns defending the trapped men under Captain Tieger. They increased their rate of fire but they both realized that they wouldn't be able to keep it up for long.

There was a twang and then an explosion. The first grenade fell in front of the advancing Arabs. The swarm slowed and then surged forward as one of their leaders urged them on.

"It's now or never!" Tully yelled above the gunfire.

The other slingshots were put to good use as the Arabs drew nearer. The grenades were better timed as the soldiers became more familiar with their homemade weapons.

When the grenades began taking a toll on the enemy the soldiers at the slingshots became more confident with their weapons. They began to aim them at the forward edge of the attacking force. Decimated by the lethal barrage, the Arab surge broke. They turned and ran back up the hill, preferring to face the lone jeep rather that the grenades. More fell under the fire of the 50.

A second heavy gun opened fire and drove the Arabs away from Moffitt's jeep. A group of Arabs that included the leaders tried to run but the second jeep cut them down. With their leaders dead the Arab attack broke completely. The Arabs scattered into too many small groups to follow.

Troy and his gunner joined Moffitt and Martin to watch them go.

Tully and Hitch were working on the trucks when the two jeeps pulled into the valley.

"Is everyone all right?" Troy asked as he stopped his jeep. He searched the trucks for his men. When he spotted them he sagged in relief.

"I have a few wounded men, and two dead." Captain Tieger reported. "Your men are both uninjured. If it hadn't been for them I think my losses would have been much higher. I doubt that we could have held out."

"Good to hear Captain, but I think we need to think about moving out of this valley. Are the trucks ready?"

"All set Sarge." Hitch walked up wiping his hands on a rag. Tully was right behind him. "We just finished. Your timing is perfect."

"In more ways than one." Tully added. "What's Doc doing?"

Troy looked over to see Moffitt leaning over the bodies of several of the Arabs. "He's taking pictures of the leaders we killed. We can identify them later and it gives us proof that those ones won't be causing any more trouble. Headquarters should be happy with our progress so far."

"Then the alliance is finished?" Hitch asked.

"Maybe not finished but we gave them something to think about. It might make it harder for them to recruit more followers." Troy admitted. He turned to Captain Tieger. "We brought you plenty of ammunition. Have your men unload it and pass it out. I don't think we need to worry about this band again but there may be more out there."

The captain nodded and gave his men orders to distribute the ammunition. "What now Sergeant?"

"Now we wait to see what Moffitt has to say about those Arabs." Troy replied. "If those guys were important we may have accomplished our mission for the time being. Hopefully we'll get enough time to come up with a plan."

Moffitt drove down and parked next to Troy's jeep. He turned to Martin and thanked him for his help.

"We are finished here?" Martin asked in surprise.

"Yes, you may return to your friends now. We can handle it from here."

"Moffitt?"

"We got Sheik Abdul Sarahan." Moffitt announced. "He was among the leaders you killed up there." Moffitt pointed toward the bodies. "I also recognized two of the others. We got the main actors in the alliance Troy. Headquarters should be very pleased."

"So the alliance is broken?" Troy asked.

"There may still be others who want to drive us out but they will have a hard time convincing anyone to follow them after the news of this battle gets out." Moffitt smiled. "Any new alliance will be a long time in the making."

"So we can head home?"

"It seems like the thing to do." Moffitt smiled. "While I was taking pictures I noticed some dust in the distance."

"More Arabs?"

"Not likely." Moffitt shook his head. "It was moving too fast to be a caravan and it was spread out too far to be a band of horsemen, unless it was an extremely large band. I doubt that they would travel in such a large group. My guess would be that the Captain's aid has arrived."

Troy twisted to look for the dust. "Hitch, take a jeep and go keep watch. Let me know the minute you can identify the source of that dust."

"You got it Sarge." Hitch started to leave but paused long enough to salute Captain Tieger. "It was nice working with you Captain. Good luck."

"Thank you for your help Private." The captain responded as he returned the salute.

Hitch nodded and ran for his jeep. He drove to the top of the nearest hill and got out with a pair of binoculars. It only took a second to locate the dust Moffitt had spotted. He watched as it drew closer. "It's a column Sarge!" He yelled when he could clearly make out the source. "Headed this way and moving fast."

"Well Captain, it looks like our joint venture is coming to an end. I want to thank you for your help. My men and I will hang around a little while to make sure the Arabs don't take advantage of our leaving but your men have ammunition now. We won't be back, so good luck."

"Thank you Sergeant, we would not have survived if not for you and your men."

"I would suggest that you keep an eye out for any other Arabs." Moffitt said when it was his turn to say goodbye. "We killed the leader of the alliance but the others may not know that yet."

"We'll do that Sergeant." The captain assured him.

"Hey Martin, sorry I couldn't stick around until you woke up." Tully called to Martin who stood behind the captain. "Glad to see you made it."

Martin looked to his captain for a translation. He smiled at Tully when the captain told him what was said.

"Hey Sarge, they're getting close." Hitch called.

"Time to go Tully." Troy urged Moffitt toward the jeep.

"So long Captain. Good luck." Tully saluted the German officer before sliding into his seat. Moffitt sat beside him and Troy climbed into the back. Tully drove up next to Hitch and Troy switched jeeps. When they looked back the Germans were all watching them. They waved and took off in a cloud of dust.

The first halftrack appeared at the end of the valley before the dust had settled. Captain Tieger walked out to meet the column commander. Captain Dietrich stopped his halftrack next to Captain Tieger and watched the jeeps vanish into the desert. When he could no longer see them he climbed from his vehicle and brushed the dust from his uniform.

"Are you all right Captain? Do you need medical aid? Transportation perhaps?"

"Medical aid would be greatly appreciated." The captain answered. "I have several wounded and we haven't any medical personnel with us. We did what we could."

Dietrich turned and called for a medic. "Your message said that you needed transportation."

"The trucks have been fixed." Captain Tieger replied.

"You were lucky to have a mechanic with you." Dietrich noted.

"We don't." The captain responded. "The Americans fixed the trucks for us."

Dietrich raised his eyebrows at the news. "Why would they do that?"

Captain Teiger explained all that had happened after his call for help.  
"A truce was the only thing that made sense at the time." He explained. "I know that Berlin frowns upon such things but I am convinced that if we had refused we would all be dead right now."

"Our leaders are not out here fighting in these conditions." Captain Dietrich admitted in a soothing tone. "I have had the opportunity to agree to a truce with that particular unit on several occasions. The results were not always so positive but I can honestly say that they have never gone back on their word. On those occasions when things have gone wrong it was because of something someone on our side did to break the truce. I find no fault with your decision Captain."

Captain Tieger looked in the direction the Rat Patrol had taken and nodded. "It was a good choice Captain. The information they gave us was not only reliable, but timely. If they had not helped we would have been overrun. It was their help that kept us going until Sergeant Troy could return with more ammunition for my men. Without their timely intervention I doubt any of us would have survived." He repeated.

"Sergeant Troy does have a way of blurring the rules of war." Dietrich admitted. "He and his men make it difficult to blindly take orders and kill the enemy."

"That is true Captain," Tieger admitted, "but one thing has become increasingly clear to me."

"What's that Captain?"

"After having seen them fight, I find myself wishing they were on our side."

Dietrich smiled. "I know what you mean." He paused to look around at the trucks. "Are your trucks ready to roll?"

"Yes." Captain Tieger nodded.

"Then I suggest that we move out of this valley. Sergeant Troy would have had a good reason for suggesting it and I doubt that he exaggerated the danger we still face." Dietrich urged.

"His information has been correct so far. I think I trust his judgement." Captain Tieger admitted.

"As do I." Dietrich agreed. He turned and ordered his men to prepare to move out. He also warned them to be alert for any sign of the Arabs.

"Perhaps we could spend some time together and you could tell me more about this unit." Captain Tieger suggested.

"I could do that. They are not my favorite subject," Dietrich admitted, "but I could do that."

The two officers climbed into their individual vehicles and headed back to the German base. Their men watched for the Arabs while both officers thought about their encounters with the Allied unit. The lines had blurred once again and both officers found themselves wondering how to reconcile their duty with their conscience. In the end they both came to the same conclusion, the enemy was still the enemy no matter how honorable they may be. The war had not yet ended.


End file.
